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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records

Generalized adsorption isotherms for molecular and dissociative adsorption of a polar molecular species on two polar surface geometries: Perovskite (100) (Pm-3m) and fluorite (111) (Fm-3m)

Lattice based kinetic Monte Carlo simulations have been used to determine a functional form for the second order adsorption isotherms on two commonly investigated crystal surfaces: the (111) fluorite surface and the (100) perovskite surface which has the same geometric symmetry as the NaCl (100) surface. The functional form is generalized to be applicable to all values of the equilibrium constant by a shift along the pressure axis. Functions have been determined for estimating the pressure at which a desired coverage would be achieved and, conversely, for estimating the coverage at a certain pressure. The generalized form has been calculated by investigating the surface adsorbate coverage across a range of thermodynamic equilibrium constants that span the range 10{sup −26} to 10{sup 13}. The equations have been shown to be general for any value of the adsorption equilibrium constant.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Helicity-Selective Enhancement and Polarization Control of Attosecond High Harmonic Waveforms Driven by Bichromatic Circularly Polarized Laser Fields

High harmonics driven by two-color counter-rotating circularly-polarized laser fields are a unique source of bright, circularly-polarized, extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray beams, where the individual harmonics themselves are completely circularly polarized. Here, we demonstrate the ability to preferentially select either the right or left circularly polarized harmonics simply by adjusting the relative intensity ratio of the bichromatic circularly polarized driving laser field. In the frequency domain, this significantly enhances the harmonic orders that rotate in the same direction as the higher intensity driving laser. In the time domain, this helicity-dependent enhancement corresponds to control over the polarization of the resulting attosecond waveforms. Here, this helicity control enables the generation of circularly-polarized high harmonics with a user-defined polarization of the underlying attosecond bursts. In the future, this technique should allow for the production of bright highly elliptical harmonic supercontinua as well as the generation of isolated elliptically polarized attosecond pulses.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Universal Polarization Transformations: Spatial Programming of Polarization Scattering Matrices Using a Deep Learning‐Designed Diffractive Polarization Transformer

Abstract Controlled synthesis of optical fields having nonuniform polarization distributions presents a challenging task. Here, a universal polarization transformer is demonstrated that can synthesize a large set of arbitrarily‐selected, complex‐valued polarization scattering matrices between the polarization states at different positions within its input and output field‐of‐views (FOVs). This framework comprises 2D arrays of linear polarizers positioned between isotropic diffractive layers, each containing tens of thousands of diffractive features with optimizable transmission coefficients. After its deep learning‐based training, this diffractive polarization transformer can successfully implement N i N o = 10 000 different spatially‐encoded polarization scattering matrices with negligible error, where N i and N o represent the number of pixels in the input and output FOVs, respectively. This universal polarization transformation framework is experimentally validated in the terahertz spectrum by fabricating wire‐grid polarizers and integrating them with 3D‐printed diffractive layers to form a physical polarization transformer. Through this set‐up, an all‐optical polarization permutation operation of spatially‐varying polarization fields is demonstrated, and distinct spatially‐encoded polarization scattering matrices are simultaneously implemented between the input and output FOVs of a compact diffractive processor. This framework opens up new avenues for developing novel devices for universal polarization control and may find applications in, e.g., remote sensing, medical imaging, security, material inspection, and machine vision.

Optical neural networks↗

Dual Polarity Ion Confinement and Mobility Separations

Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations (SLIM) have been rapidly gaining prominence for applications where ultra-high resolution Ion Mobility (IM) separations are desired to provide performance features and information unattainable using the currently available IM platforms. Although most routine analyses are done in either positive or negative polarity modes, there are significant benefits to both, potentially making them highly complementary if performed simultaneously. In the effort to develop a robust dual polarity IM platform, we explored an evaluation of a novel SLIM platform developed to perform simultaneous cationic and anionic IM separations (i.e. without requiring polarity switching).

Attah, Isaac K.↗

Measurement of the absolute neutron beam polarization from a supermirror polarizer and the absolute efficiency of a neutron spin rotator for the NPDGamma experiment using a polarized 3 He neutron spin-filter

Accurately measuring the neutron beam polarization of a high flux, large area neutron beam is necessary for many neutron physics experiments. The Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline (FnPB) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is a pulsed neutron beam that was polarized with a supermirror polarizer for the NPDGamma experiment. The polarized neutron beam had a flux of ~10 9 neutrons per second per cm 2 and a cross sectional area of 10 x 12 cm 2 . The polarization of this neutron beam and the efficiency of a RF neutron spin rotator installed downstream on this beam were measured by neutron transmission through a polarized 3 He neutron spin-filter. The pulsed nature of the SNS enabled us to employ an absolute measurement technique for both quantities which does not depend on accurate knowledge of the phase space of the neutron beam or the 3 He polarization in the spin filter and is therefore of interest for any experiments on slow neutron beams from pulsed neutron sources which require knowledge of the absolute value of the neutron polarization. The polarization and spin-reversal efficiency measured were done for the NPDGamma experiment, which measures the parity violating γ-ray angular distribution asymmetry with respect to the neutron spin direction in the capture of polarized neutrons on protons. Finally, the experimental technique, results, systematic effects, and applications to neutron capture targets are discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Measurement of polarization observables in vector meson photoproduction using a transversely-polarized frozen-spin target and polarized photons at CLAS, Jefferson Lab

The study of baryon resonances provides a deeper understanding of the strong interaction because the dynamics and relevant degrees of freedom hidden within them are re ected by the properties of the excited states of baryons. Higher-lying excited states at and above 1.7 GeV/c 2 are generally predicted to have strong couplings to final states involving a heavier meson, e. g. one of the vector mesons, ρ, ω φ, as compared to a lighter pseudoscalar meson, e. g. π and η. Decays to the ππΝ final states via πΔ also become more important through the population of intermediate resonances. We observe that nature invests in mass rather than momentum. The excited states of the nucleon are usually found as broadly overlapping resonances which may decay into a multitude of final states involving mesons and baryons. Polarization observables make it possible to isolate single resonance contributions from other interference terms. The CLAS g9 (FROST) experiment, as part of the N* spectroscopy program at Jefferson Laboratory, accumulated photoproduction data using circularly- & linearly-polarized photons incident on a transversely-polarized butanol target (g9b experiment) in the photon energy range 0:3-2:4 GeV & 0:7-2:1 GeV, respectively. In this work, the analysis of reactions and polarization observables which involve two charged pions, either in the fully exclusive reaction γρ -> ρπ+π- or in the semi-exclusive reaction with a missing neutral pion, γρ -> ρπ + π - (π 0 ) will be presented. For the reaction ρπ + π - , eight polarization observables (I s , I c , P x , P y , $P^s_{x;y}$, $P^c_{x; y}$) have been extracted. The high statistics data rendered it possible to extract these observables in three dimensions. All of them are first-time measurements. The fairly good agreement of Is, Ic obtained from this analysis with the experimental results from a previous CLAS experiment provides support for the first-time measurements. For the reaction γρ -> ρω -> ρπ + π(π 0 , five polarization observables (T, Σ, F, H, P) have been extracted, four of which are first-time measurements at all energies. This analysis thus represents a comprehensive program on vector-meson photoproduction: The ω is observed and studied directly from the data and the polarization observables for the (broad) ω can be extracted from the double-pion reaction in a partial-wave analysis. The 13 polarization observables extracted in this analysis substantially augment the world database of polarization observables for these reactions and are expected to play a crucial role in identifying the contributing baryon resonances.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Design of a TW-SLIM Module for Dual Polarity Confinement, Transport, and Reactions

Here we describe instrumental approaches for performing dual polarity ion confinement, transport, ion mobility separations, and reactions in structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM). Previous means of ion confinement in SLIM, based upon rf-generated pseudopotentials and DC fields for lateral confinement, cannot trap ions of opposite polarity simultaneously. Here we explore alternative approaches to provide simultaneous lateral confinement of both ion polarities. Traveling wave ion mobility (IM) separations experienced in such SLIM cause ions of both polarities to migrate in the same directions and exhibit similar separations. The ion motion (and relative motion of the two polarities) under both surfing and IM separation conditions are discussed. In surfing conditions the two polarities are transported losslessly and non-reactively in their respective potential minima (higher absolute voltage regions confine negative polarities, and lower absolute potential regions are populated by positive polarities). In separation mode, where ions roll over an overtaking traveling wave, the two polarities can interact during the rollovers. Strategies to minimize overlap of the two ion populations to prevent reactive losses during separations are presented. A theoretical treatment of the time scales over which two populations (injected into a DC field-free region of the dual polarity SLIM device) interact is considered, and SLIM designs for allowing ion/ion interactions and other manipulations with dual polarities at 4 Torr are presented. .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

On the impact of large angle CMB polarization data on cosmological parameters

We study the impact of the large-angle CMB polarization datasets publicly released by the WMAP and Planck satellites on the estimation of cosmological parameters of the ΛCDM model. To complement large-angle polarization, we consider the high resolution (or "high-ℓ") CMB datasets from either WMAP or Planck as well as CMB lensing as traced by Planck's measured four point correlation function. In the case of WMAP, we compute the large-angle polarization likelihood starting over from low resolution frequency maps and their covariance matrices, and perform our own foreground mitigation technique, which includes as a possible alternative Planck 353 GHz data to trace polarized dust. We find that the latter choice induces a downward shift in the optical depth τ, roughly of order 2σ, robust to the choice of the complementary high resolution dataset. When the Planck 353 GHz is consistently used to minimize polarized dust emission, WMAP and Planck 70 GHz large-angle polarization data are in remarkable agreement: by combining them we find τ = 0.066 +0.012-0.013, again very stable against the particular choice for high-ℓ data. We find that the amplitude of primordial fluctuations As, notoriously degenerate with τ, is the parameter second most affected by the assumptions on polarized dust removal, but the other parameters are also affected, typically between 0.5 and 1σ. In particular, cleaning dust with Planck's 353 GHz data imposes a 1σ downward shift in the value of the Hubble constant H0, significantly contributing to the tension reported between CMB based and direct measurements of the present expansion rate. On the other hand, we find that the appearance of the so-called low ℓ anomaly, a well-known tension between the high- and low-resolution CMB anisotropy amplitude, is not significantly affected by the details of large-angle polarization, or by the particular high-ℓ dataset employed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Polarization Signatures of Kink Instabilities in the Blazar Emission Region from Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations

Kink instabilities are likely to occur in the current-carrying magnetized plasma jets. Recent observations of the blazar radiation and polarization signatures suggest that the blazar emission region may be considerably magnetized. While the kink instability has been studied with first-principle magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, the corresponding time-dependent radiation and polarization signatures have not been investigated. In this paper, we perform comprehensive polarization-dependent radiation modeling of the kink instability in the blazar emission region based on relativistic MHD (RMHD) simulations. We find that the kink instability may give rise to strong flares with polarization angle (PA) swings or weak flares with polarization fluctuations, depending on the initial magnetic topology and magnetization. These findings are consistent with observations. Compared with the shock model, the kink model generates polarization signatures that are in better agreement with the general polarization observations. Therefore, we suggest that kink instabilities may widely exist in the jet environment and provide an efficient way to convert the magnetic energy and produce multiwavelength flares and polarization variations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Computational simulations of hydrogen circular migration in protonated acetylene induced by circularly polarized light

The hydrogens in protonated acetylene are very mobile and can easily migrate around the C 2 core by moving between classical and non-classical structures of the cation. The lowest energy structure is the T-shaped, non-classical cation with a hydrogen bridging the two carbons. Conversion to the classical H 2 CCH + ion requires only 4 kcal/mol. The effect of circularly polarized light on the migration of hydrogens in oriented C 2 H 3 + has been simulated by Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics. Classical trajectory calculations were carried out with the M062X/6-311+G(3df,2pd) level of theory using linearly and circularly polarized 32 cycle 7 μm cosine squared pulses with peak intensity of 5.6 × 10 13 W/cm 2 and 3.15 × 10 13 W/cm 2 , respectively. These linearly and circularly polarized pulses transfer similar amounts of energy and total angular momentum to C 2 H3 + . The average angular momentum vectors of the three hydrogens show opposite directions of rotation for right and left circularly polarized light, but no directional preference for linearly polarized light. This difference results in an appreciable amount of angular displacement of the three hydrogens relative to the C 2 core for circularly polarized light, but only an insignificant amount for linearly polarized light. In conclusion, over the course of the simulation with circularly polarized light, this corresponds to a propeller-like motion of the three hydrogens around the C 2 core of protonated acetylene.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Impact of high-dose gamma-ray irradiation on electrical characteristics of N-polar and Ga-polar GaN p–n diodes

We investigate the impact of high-dose gamma-ray irradiation on the electrical performance of Ga-polar and N-polar GaN-based p-n diodes grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. We compare the current density-voltage (J-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and circular transfer length method (CTLM) characteristics of the p-n diodes fabricated on Ga-polar and N-polar orientations before and after irradiation. The relative turn-on voltage increases for the Ga-polar diodes with increasing irradiation dose, while it increases initially and then starts to decrease for the N-polar diodes. The p-contact total resistance increases for Ga-polar and decreases for N-polar samples, which we attribute to the formation of point defects and additional Mg activation after irradiation. The J-V characteristics of most of the tested diodes recovered over time, suggesting the changes in the J-V characteristics are temporary and potentially due to metastable occupancy of traps after irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements reveal the existence of different types of initial defects and surface electronic states on Ga-polar and N-polar samples. Gallium vacancies (V Ga ) are dominant defects in Ga-polar samples, while nitrogen vacancies (V N ) are dominant in N-polar samples. The presence of a higher concentration of surface states on Ga-polar surfaces compared to N-polar was confirmed by calculating the band bending and the corresponding screening effect due to opposite polarization bound charge and ionized acceptors at the surface. The difference in surface stoichiometry in these two orientations is responsible for the different behavior in electrical characteristics after gamma-ray interactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A New Limit on CMB Circular Polarization from SPIDER

We present a new upper limit on cosmic microwave background (CMB) circular polarization from the 2015 flight of Spider, a balloon-borne telescope designed to search for B-mode linear polarization from cosmic inflation. Although the level of circular polarization in the CMB is predicted to be very small, experimental limits provide a valuable test of the underlying models. By exploiting the nonzero circular-to-linear polarization coupling of the half-wave plate polarization modulators, data from Spider's 2015 Antarctic flight provide a constraint on Stokes V at 95 and 150 GHz in the range 33<ℓ<307. No other limits exist over this full range of angular scales, and Spider improves on the previous limit by several orders of magnitude, providing 95% C.L. constraints on ℓ(ℓ+1)C{sub ℓ}{sup VV}/(2π) ranging from 141 to 255 μK{sup 2} at 150 GHz for a thermal CMB spectrum. As linear CMB polarization experiments become increasingly sensitive, the techniques described in this paper can be applied to obtain even stronger constraints on circular polarization.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

CONCEPT OF A POLARIZED POSITRON SOURCE FOR CEBAF

Positron beams would provide new and meaningful probes for the experimental program at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab), including but not limited to future hadronic physics and dark matter experiments. Critical requirements involve generating positron beams with a high degree of spin polarization, sufficient intensity and a continuous-wave (CW) bunch train compatible with acceleration to 12 GeV at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). To address these requirements, a polarized positron injector based upon the bremsstrahlung of an intense CW spin polarized electron beam is considered*. First a polarized electron beam line provides >1 mA of polarized electrons at ~120 MeV to a high-power target for positron production. Next, a second beam line collects, shapes and aligns the spin of positrons for users. Finally, the positron beam is matched into the CEBAF acceptance for acceleration and transport to the end stations with energies up to 12 GeV. An optimized layout to provide positrons beams with intensity >100 nA (polarized) or intensity >3 µA (unpolarized) will be discussed in this poster.

Habet, S. H.↗

Polarized fusion and potential in situ tests of fuel polarization survival in a tokamak plasma

Abstract The use of spin-polarized fusion fuels would provide a significant boost towards the ignition of a burning plasma. The cross section for D + T → α + n, would be increased by 1.5 if the fuels were injected with parallel polarization. Furthermore, our simulations demonstrate additional non-linear power gains in large-scale machines such as ITER, due to increased alpha heating. Such benefits require the survival of spin polarizations for periods comparable to the particle confinement time. During the 1980s, calculations predicted that polarizations could survive a plasma environment, although concerns persisted regarding the cumulative impacts of wall recycling. In that era, technical challenges prevented direct tests and left the large scale fueling of a power reactor beyond reach. Over the last decades, this situation has changed dramatically. Detailed simulations of ITER have predicted negligible wall recycling in a high-power reactor, and recent advances in laser-driven sources project the capability of producing large quantities of ∼100% polarized D and T. The remaining crucial step is an in-situ demonstration of polarization survival in a plasma. For this, we outline a measurement strategy using the isospin-mirror reaction, D + 3 He → α + p. Polarized 3 He avoids the complexities of handling tritium, while encompassing the same spin-physics. We evaluate two methods of delivering deuterium, using dynamically polarized Lithium-Deuteride (with vector polarization P V D of 70%) or frozen-spin Hydrogen-Deuteride (with P V D of 40%), together with a method of injecting optically-pumped 3 He (with 65% polarization). Pellets of these materials all have long polarization decay times (∼6 min for LiD at 2 K, ∼2 months for HD at 2 K, and ∼3 d for 3 He at 77 K), all far greater than a plasma shot in a research tokamak such as DIII-D (∼20 s). Both species can be propelled from a single cryogenic injection gun. We review plasma requirements and strategies for detecting polarization survival. Polarization alters both fusion yields and the angular distribution of fusion products, and each of these provides a potential signal. In this paper we simulate a selection of shots with similar characteristics in a future high-T ion H plasma, and find ratios of yields from shots with fuel spins parallel and antiparallel reaching 1.3 (HD + 3 He) to 1.6 (LiD + 3 He) over a wide range of poloidal angles. (A companion paper finds sensitivity to fusion product angular distributions as reflected in the pitch angles of protons and alphas reaching the plasma facing wall.)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Artificial two-dimensional polar metal at room temperature

© 2018 The Author(s). Polar metals, commonly defined by the coexistence of polar crystal structure and metallicity, are thought to be scarce because the long-range electrostatic fields favoring the polar structure are expected to be fully screened by the conduction electrons of a metal. Moreover, reducing from three to two dimensions, it remains an open question whether a polar metal can exist. Here we report on the realization of a room temperature two-dimensional polar metal of the B-site type in tri-color (tri-layer) superlattices BaTiO3/SrTiO3/LaTiO3. A combination of atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy with electron energy-loss spectroscopy, optical second harmonic generation, electrical transport, and first-principles calculations have revealed the microscopic mechanisms of periodic electric polarization, charge distribution, and orbital symmetry. Our results provide a route to creating all-oxide artificial non-centrosymmetric quasi-Two-dimensional metals with exotic quantum states including coexisting ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, and superconducting phases.

Cao, Yanwei↗

NMR Measurements for Solid Polarized Targets at Jefferson Lab

Jefferson Lab's solid polarized targets rely on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance techniques to measure the enhanced polarization provided under Dynamic Nuclear Polarization. Upcoming polarized target experiments in JLab's Hall B present challenging conditions which would benefit from improvements to traditional NMR techniques. For decades, JLab has utilized Liverpool Q Meters for NMR measurements, but these are aging and no longer produced. The polarized target group at Bochum has successfully produced replacement Q Meters with modern components, and we are following their example, exploring new designs for both an analog and a digital Q Meter system. Unlike recent experiments in Halls A and C, the new Hall B target will require external NMR coils, resulting in a weaker signal. In addition, two separate target cells will be utilized, each held at different magnetic fields, allowing them to be polarized in opposing directions, but complicating the NMR measurement. We present the challenges presented by the new Hall B target, lay out plans for improvements to our NMR system, and show results of initial tests of our designs.

Maxwell, James↗

A tale of two polarization paradoxes: The diamagnetic polarization paradox

An accurate calculation of the total polarization charge density in a plasma is essential for a self-consistent determination of the electric field. Yet, the “diamagnetic polarization paradox” refers to the fact that there is a paradoxical factor of 1/2 difference between the pressure-driven “diamagnetic polarization” density calculated using real space drift theory vs action-angle space guiding center and gyrokinetic theory that has not been explained before. Here, we show that both results can be made consistent with one another. Half of the diamagnetic polarization is due to the transformation from the guiding center density to the real space density. The other half is due to the fact that, within the drift kinetic ordering assumptions, the guiding center density should be expressed as the gyroaverage of the density in the limit of vanishing Larmor radius. A comprehensive review of polarization is presented to complete the derivation, and then we derive results that are required for the polarization calculations to agree. Expressions for the diamagnetic polarization density are given that are accurate to first order in amplitude and all orders in gyroradius within the gyrokinetic theory for a constant magnetic field. Applications to Maxwell–Boltzmann particle distribution functions (PDFs), including anisotropic temperature, are presented. Local invariants, like total energy and toroidal momentum, do not generate net polarization effects; the electric and thermodynamic polarizations must precisely cancel. In contrast, anisotropic dependence on the magnetic moment generates a net polarization proportional to the temperature anisotropy. Finally, when sources are present, the equilibrium PDF is approximately the ratio of two orbit averages.

adiabatic theory↗