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Liu, X.

Publications and source records attributed to Liu, X..

At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Disentangled Cooperative Orderings in Artificial Rare-Earth Nickelates

Coupled transitions between distinct ordered phases are important aspects behind the rich phase complexity of correlated oxides that hinder our understanding of the underlying phenomena. For this reason, fundamental control over complex transitions has become a leading motivation of the designer approach to materials. We have devised a series of new superlattices by combining a Mott insulator and a correlated metal to form ultrashort period superlattices, which allow one to disentangle the simultaneous orderings in RENiO 3 . Tailoring an incommensurate heterostructure period relative to the bulk charge ordering pattern suppresses the charge order transition while preserving metal-insulator and antiferromagnetic transitions. Such selective decoupling of the entangled phases resolves the long-standing puzzle about the driving force behind the metal-insulator transition and points to the site-selective Mott transition as the operative mechanism. In conclusion, this designer approach emphasizes the potential of heterointerfaces for selective control of simultaneous transitions in complex materials with entwined broken symmetries.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Component Analysis and Identification of Black Tahitian Cultured Pearls From the Oyster Pinctada margaritifera Using Spectroscopic Techniques

Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared (UV–Vis–NIR) reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy were used to characterize black Tahitian cultured pearls and imitations of these saltwater cultured pearls produced by γ-irradiation, and by coloring of cultured pearls with silver nitrate or organic dyes. Raman spectra indicated that aragonite was the major constituent of these four types of pearl. Using Raman spectroscopy at an excitation wavelength of 514 nm, black Tahitian cultured pearls exhibited characteristic 1100–1700 cm{sup –1} bands. These bands were attributed to various organic components, including conchiolin and other black biological pigments. The peaks shown by saltwater cultured pearls colored with organic dyes varied with the type of dye used. Tahitian cultured and organic-dye-treated saltwater cultured pearls were easily identified by Raman spectroscopy. UV–Vis–NIR reflectance spectra showed bands at 408, 497, and 700 nm derived from porphyrin pigment and other black pigments. The spectra of dye-treated black saltwater pearls showed absorption peaks at 216, 261, 300, and 578 nm. The 261-nm absorption band disappeared from the spectra of γ-irradiated saltwater cultured pearls. This suggests the degradation of conchiolin in the γ-irradiated saltwater cultured pearls. XRF analysis revealed the presence of Ag on the surface of silver nitrate-dyed saltwater cultured pearls.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Band Dependent Interlayer f -Electron Hybridization in CeRhIn 5

A key issue in heavy fermion research is how subtle changes in the hybridization between the 4 f (5 f ) and conduction electrons can result in fundamentally different ground states. CeRhIn 5 stands out as a particularly notable example: when replacing Rh with either Co or Ir, antiferromagnetism gives way to superconductivity. In this photoemission study of CeRhIn 5 , we demonstrate that the use of resonant angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with polarized light allows us to extract detailed information on the 4 f crystal field states and details on the 4 f and conduction electron hybridization, which together determine the ground state. We directly observe weakly dispersive Kondo resonances of f electrons and identify two of the three Ce4 f $^{1}_{5/2}$ crystal-electric-field levels and band-dependent hybridization, which signals that the hybridization occurs primarily between the Ce 4 f states in the CeIn 3 layer and two more three-dimensional bands composed of the Rh 4 d and In 5 p orbitals in the RhIn 2 layer. Our conclusions allow us to connect the properties observed at elevated temperatures with the unusual low-temperature properties of this enigmatic heavy fermion compound.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Experimental study of heating scheme effect on the inner divertor power footprint widths in EAST lower single null discharges

A comprehensive work of the effects of plasma current and heating schemes on divertor power footprint widths is carried out in the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). The divertor power footprint widths, i.e., the scrape-off layer heat flux decay length λ q and the heat spreading S, are crucial physical and engineering parameters for fusion reactors. Strong inverse scaling of λ q and S with plasma current have been demonstrated for both neutral beam (NB) and lower hybrid wave (LHW) heated L-mode and H-mode plasmas at the inner divertor target. For plasmas heated by the combination of the two kinds of auxiliary heating schemes (NB and LHW), the divertor power widths tend to be larger in plasmas with higher ratio of LHW power. Comparison between experimental heat flux profiles at outer mid-plane (OMP) and divertor target for NB heated and LHW heated L-mode plasmas reveals that the magnetic topology changes induced by LHW may be the main reason to the wider divertor power widths in LHW heated discharges. The effect of heating schemes on divertor peak heat flux has also been investigated, and it is found that LHW heated discharges tend to have a lower divertor peak heat flux compared with NB heated discharges under similar input power. All these findings seem to suggest that plasmas with LHW auxiliary heating scheme are better heat exhaust scenarios for fusion reactors and should be the priorities for the design of next-step fusion reactors like China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Analysis of the thermal-mechanical redox stability of Nb 2 TiO 7 and Nb 1.33 Ti 0.67 O 4 for SOFC application

Nb 2 TiO 7 and Nb 1.33 Ti 0.67 O 4 was reported as a potential anode materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) based on their stable reversible phase transformation and high electronic conductivity. A high-temperature redox dilatometry test was developed to monitor the linear expansion or contraction of Nb 2 TiO 7 and Nb 1.33 Ti 0.67 O 4 synthesized through a solid-state route. XRD analysis confirmed the phase purity. It was found that Nb 2 TiO 7 contracts linearly up to 0.006% in a reducing atmosphere and this contraction is reversible in nature whereas Nb 1.33 Ti 0.67 O 4 expands linearly up to 1.9% in an oxidizing atmosphere which is irreversible in nature at 800 °C. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the materials was analyzed in redox atmospheres. At 800 °C, Nb 2 TiO 7 showed an electrical conductivity of 1.35 S/cm in forming gas (5%H 2 /95%N 2 ) which increases to 85 S/cm upon the reduction of Nb 2 TiO 7 to Nb 1.33 Ti 0.67 O 4 .Here this study emphasizes the importance of high-temperature redox dilatometry in the development of SOFC electrode materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Reexamination of a novel determination of density, temperature, and symmetry energy based on a modified Fisher model

Excited nuclei behave like liquid droplets and undergo phase transition at finite excitation temperatures; as proposed by M.E. Fisher in 1967 in order to describe the power law behavior of the “fragment” mass distribution around the critical point for a liquid-gas phase transition. In the early 1980s, the pioneering work of the Purdue group generated a novel classical droplet model based on the Fischer Model, which was the so-called Modified Fisher Model(MFM). In this article, a mistake in the formulation of the Modified Fisher Model (MFM) is addressed and corrected by reversing the sign of the mixing entropy term in the original formulation. The errors in the results of the previous MFM-related studies, such as isotopic yield distribution, isobaric yield ratios, isoscaling, m-scaling, self-consistent, determination of density, symmetry energy and temperature, and density and temperature determination related to the IMF Freeze out, are quantitatively analyzed. It is found that the errors originating from the mistake in sign of the mixing entropy term are generally small and even have no effect in some cases.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Constraining radon backgrounds in LZ

The LZ dark matter detector, like many other rare-event searches, will suffer from backgrounds due to the radioactive decay of radon daughters. In order to achieve its science goals, the concentration of radon within the xenon should not exceed 2 μBq/kg, or 20 mBq total within its 10 tonnes. The LZ collaboration is in the midst of a program to screen all significant components in contact with the xenon. The four institutions involved in this effort have begun sharing two cross-calibration sources to ensure consistent measurement results across multiple distinct devices. We present here five preliminary screening results, some mitigation strategies that will reduce the amount of radon produced by the most problematic components, and a summary of the current estimate of radon emanation throughout the detector. This best estimate totals < 17.3 mBq, sufficiently low to meet the detector's science goals.

Miller, E. H.↗
DOE OSTI2017

On the possibility to detect multipolar order in URu 2 Si 2 by the electric quadrupolar transition of resonant elastic x-ray scattering

Resonant elastic x-ray scattering is a powerful technique for measuring multipolar order parameters. In this paper, we theoretically and experimentally study the possibility of using this technique to detect the proposed multipolar order parameters in URu 2 Si 2 at the U- L 3 edge with the electric quadrupolar transition. Based on an atomic model, we calculate the azimuthal dependence of the quadrupolar transition at the U- L 3 edge. Our results illustrate the potential of this technique for distinguishing different multipolar order parameters. We then perform experiments on ultraclean single crystals of URu 2 Si 2 at the U- L 3 edge to search for the predicted signal, but do not detect any indications of multipolar moments within the experimental uncertainty. We also theoretically estimate the orders of magnitude of the cross section and the expected count rate of the quadrupolar transition and compare them to the dipolar transitions at the U- M 4 and U- L 3 edges, clarifying the difficulty in detecting higher order multipolar order parameters in URu 2 Si 2 in the current experimental setup.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

A magnetic topological semimetal Sr 1-y Mn 1-z Sb2 (y, z < 0.10)

Weyl (WSMs) evolve from Dirac semimetals in the presence of broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS) or space-inversion symmetry. The WSM phases in TaAs-class materials and photonic crystals are due to the loss of space-inversion symmetry. For TRS-breaking WSMs, despite numerous theoretical and experimental efforts, few examples have been reported. Here in this paper, we report a new type of magnetic semimetal Sr 1-y Mn 1-z Sb 2 (y, z < 0.1) with nearly massless relativistic fermion behaviour (m* = 0.04 - 0.05m 0 , where m 0 is the free-electron mass). This material exhibits a ferromagnetic order for 304 K < T < 565 K, but a canted antiferromagnetic order with a ferromagnetic component for T < 304 K. The combination of relativistic fermion behaviour and ferromagnetism in Sr 1-y Mn 1-z Sb2 offers a rare opportunity to investigate the interplay between relativistic fermions and spontaneous TRS breaking.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Pedestal transport in H-mode plasmas for fusion gain

The first high fidelity gyrokinetic simulations of the energy losses in the transport barriers of large tokamaks in pursuit of fusion gain are presented. These simulations calculate the turbulent energy losses with an extensive treatment of relevant physical effects—fully kinetic, non-linear, electromagnetic—inclusive of all major plasma species, and in equilibria with relevant shape and local bootstrap current for fusion-relevant cases. We find that large plasmas with a small normalized gyroradius lie in an unexpected regime of enhanced losses that can prevent the projected energy gain. Our simulations are qualitatively consistent with recent experiments on JET with an ITER-like wall. Interestingly and very importantly, the simulations predict parameter regimes of reduced transport that are quite fusion-favorable.

Kotschenreuther, M.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Doping Dependence of Collective Spin and Orbital Excitations in the Spin-1 Quantum Antiferromagnet La 2 - x Sr x NiO 4 Observed by X Rays

Here, we report the first empirical demonstration that resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) is sensitive to collective magnetic excitations in S=1 systems by probing the Ni L 3 edge of La 2$-$x Sr x NiO 4 (x=0, 0.33, 0.45). The magnetic excitation peak is asymmetric, indicating the presence of single and multi-spin-flip excitations. As the hole doping level is increased, the zone boundary magnon energy is suppressed at a much larger rate than that in hole doped cuprates. Based on the analysis of the orbital and charge excitations observed by RIXS, we argue that this difference is related to the orbital character of the doped holes in these two families. Lastly, this work establishes RIXS as a probe of fundamental magnetic interactions in nickelates opening the way towards studies of heterostructures and ultrafast pump-probe experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Probing and controlling terahertz-driven structural dynamics with surface sensitivity

Intense, single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses are powerful tools to understand and control material properties through low-energy resonances, such as phonons. Combining this with optical second harmonic generation (SHG) makes it possible to observe the resulting ultrafast structural changes with surface sensitivity. This makes SHG an ideal method to probe phonon dynamics in topological insulators (TI), materials with unique surface transport properties. Here, we resonantly excite a phonon mode in the TI Bi 2 Se 3 with THz pulses and use SHG to separate the resulting symmetry changes at the surface from the bulk. Furthermore, we coherently control the lattice vibrations with a pair of THz pulses. Lastly, our work demonstrates a versatile, table-top tool to probe and control phonon dynamics in a range of systems, particularly at surfaces and interfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Giant spin gap and magnon localization in the disordered Heisenberg antiferromagnet Sr 2 Ir 1 - x Ru x O 4

Here, we study the evolution of magnetic excitations in the disordered two-dimensional antiferromagnet Sr 2 Ir 1–x RuxO 4 . The maximum energy of the magnetic excitation remains robust up to x = 0.77, with a gap opening at low dopings and increasing to over 150 meV at x = 0.77. At these higher Ru concentrations, the dispersive magnetic excitations in Sr 2 IrO 4 are rendered essentially momentum independent. Up to a Ru concentration of x = 0.77, both experiments and first-principles calculations show the Ir J eff = 1/2 state remains intact. The magnetic gap arises from the local interaction anisotropy in the proximity of the Ru disorder. Under the coherent potential approximation, we reproduce the experimental magnetic excitations using the disordered Heisenberg antiferromagnetic model with suppressed next-nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic coupling.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗