Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Zhao, Jinkui

Publications and source records attributed to Zhao, Jinkui.

Synthesis, disorder and Ising anisotropy in a new spin liquid candidate PrMgAl 11 O 19

Here we report the successful synthesis of large single crystals of triangular frustrated PrMgAl 11 O 19 using the optical floating zone technique. Single crystal x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements unveiled the presence of quenched disorder within the mirror plane, specifically ~7% of Pr ions deviating from the ideal 2d site towards the 6h site. Magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed an Ising anisotropy with the c-axis being the easy axis. Despite a large spin–spin interaction that develops below ~10 K and considerable site disorder, the spins do not order or freeze down to at least 50 mK. The availability of large single crystals offers a distinct opportunity to investigate the exotic magnetic state on a triangular lattice with an easy axis out of the plane.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anomalous Ferromagnetic Behavior in Orthorhombic Li 3 Co 2 SbO 6

Monoclinic Li 3 Co 2 SbO 6 has been proposed as a Kitaev spin liquid candidate and investigated intensively, whereas the properties of its polymorph, the orthorhombic phase, are less known. In this work, we report the magnetic properties of orthorhombic Li 3 Co 2 SbO 6 as revealed by dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, muon spin relaxation (μSR), and neutron diffraction measurements. Successive magnetic transitions at 115, 89, and 71 K were observed in the low-field dc susceptibility measurements. The transitions below T N (115 K) are suppressed at higher applied fields. However, zero-field ac susceptibility measurements reveal distinct frequency-independent transitions at about 114, 107, 97, 79, and 71 K. A long-range magnetic ordered state was confirmed by specific heat, μSR, and neutron diffraction measurements, all indicating a single transition at about 115 K. The discrepancy between different measurements is attributed to possible stacking faults and/or local disorders of the ferromagnetic zigzag chains, resulting in ferromagnetic boundaries within the overall antiferromagnetic matrix.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Neutron intensity modulation and time-focusing with integrated Larmor and resonant frequency techniques

The analysis of neutron diffraction experiments often assumes that neutrons are elastically scattered from the sample. However, there is growing evidence that a significant fraction of the detected neutrons is in fact inelastically scattered, especially from soft materials and aqueous samples. Ignoring these inelastic contributions gives rise to inaccurate experimental results. To date, there has been no simple method with broad applicability for inelastic signal separation in neutron diffraction experiments. Here, we present a simple and robust method that we believe could be suited for this purpose. We use two radio frequency resonant spin flippers integrated with a Larmor precession field to modulate the neutron intensity and to encode the inelastic scattering information into the neutron data. All three components contribute to the spin encoding. The Larmor field serves several additional purposes. Its usage facilitates neutron time-focusing, eliminates the need for stringent magnetic shielding, and allows for compact setups. The scheme is robust, simple, and flexible. We believe that, with further improvements, it has the potential of adding inelastic signal discrimination capabilities to many existing diffraction instruments in the future.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Technical Design Report, Second Target Station

The Second Target Station (STS) is a proposed upgrade for SNS. It includes a doubling of the accelerator power and an additional instrument hall. The new instrument hall will receive a 467 kW 10 Hz beam. The parameters and preliminary design aspects of the STS are presented for the accelerator, target systems, instrument hall, instruments and civil construction aspects.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Optimizing moderator dimensions for neutron scattering at the spallation neutron source

In this work, we investigate the effect of neutron moderator dimensions on the performance of neutron scattering instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). In a recent study of the planned second target station at the SNS facility, we have found that the dimensions of a moderator play a significant role in determining its surface brightness. A smaller moderator may be significantly brighter over a smaller viewing area. One of the immediate implications of this finding is that for modern neutron scattering instrument designs, moderator dimensions and brightness have to be incorporated as an integrated optimization parameter. Here, we establish a strategy of matching neutron scattering instruments with moderators using analytical and Monte Carlo techniques. In order to simplify our treatment, we group the instruments into two broad categories: those with natural collimation and those that use neutron guide systems. For instruments using natural collimation, the optimal moderator selection depends on the size of the moderator, the sample, and the moderator brightness. The desired beam divergence only plays a role in determining the distance between sample and moderator. For instruments using neutron optical systems, the smallest moderator available that is larger than the entrance dimension of the closest optical element will perform the best (assuming, as is the case here that smaller moderators are brighter)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Instrument performance study on the short and long pulse options of the second Spallation Neutron Source target station

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is designed with an upgrade option for a future low repetition rate, long wavelength second target station. This second target station is intended to complement the scientific capabilities of the 1.4 MW, 60 Hz high power first target station. Two upgrade possibilities have been considered, the short and the long pulse options. In the short pulse mode, proton extraction occurs after the pulse compression in the accumulator ring. The proton pulse structure is thus the same as that for the first target station with a pulse width of ∼0.7 μs. In the long pulse mode, protons are extracted as they are produced by the linac, with no compression in the accumulator ring. The time width of the uncompressed proton pulse is ∼1 ms. This difference in proton pulse structure means that neutron pulses will also be different. Neutron scattering instruments thus have to be designed and optimized very differently for these two source options which will directly impact the overall scientific capabilities of the SNS facility. In order to assess the merits of the short and long pulse target stations, we investigated a representative suit of neutron scattering instruments and evaluated their performance under each option. Our results indicate that the short pulse option will offer significantly better performance for the instruments and is the preferred choice for the SNS facility.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

IBIS: An inverse geometry Brillouin inelastic neutron spectrometer for the SNS

The high power target station at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) currently has about 20 completed neutron scattering instruments. With a broad coverage of the momentum transfer (Q)-energy (E) space, these instruments serve an extensive user community. In an effort to further expand the scientific capabilities of the SNS instrument suites, we propose a low background, inverse geometry Brillouin inelastic spectrometer for the SNS which will expand the Q-E coverage of the current instrument suite and facilitate the study of inelastic and quasi-elastic scatterings at low Q values. The possible location for the proposed instrument is either beamline 8 which views the decoupled water moderator, or beamline 14A, which views a cold, coupled super critical hydrogen moderator. The instrument parameters, optimizations, and performances at these two beamline locations are discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Polarized Neutron in Structural Biology Present and Future Outlook

Hydrogen has a strong polarization-dependent neutron scattering cross section. This property has been exploited in the study of soft matters, especially biological macromolecules. When a polarized neutron beam is scattered off a polarized hydrogenous sample, the otherwise large hydrogen incoherent cross section is drastically reduced while the coherent signal is significantly increased. Past experiments have demonstrated the potentials and benefits of polarized neutron scattering from soft materials. The main technical challenge of polarized neutron scattering from biological matters lies at sample polarization. Dynamic nuclear polarization is a proven yet rather sophisticated technique. Its complexity is one of the main reasons for the technique's slow adoption. The future of polarized neutron scattering in biology may rest largely in neutron protein crystallography. Polarization of protein crystals is much easier to accomplish, since protein crystals are typically rather small (<<1 mm) and only require small and easy- to-operate polarization apparatuses. In addition, the high resolution nature of neutron protein crystallography means that we will be able to study individual atoms using the polarized neutron scattering technique.

Zhao, Jinkui↗