Engineering Papers⌕ Search
Home/Archive/DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI · 2941416

Ultrafast low-temperature metal–insulator interface phonon dynamics and heat transport in a Pt/Gd 3 Fe 5 O 12 heterostructure

Sri Gyan, Deepankar [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000316722617)·Li, Ni [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000272811828)·Chen, Zhantao [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science (SIMES); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000319543868)·Geprägs, Stephan [Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Garching (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000309852341)·Dietlein, Maxim [Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Garching (Germany); Technical Univ. of Munich (Germany)] (ORCID:0009000986990714)·Gross, Rudolf [Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Garching (Germany); Technical Univ. of Munich (Germany); Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Munich (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000345247552)·Sato, Takahiro [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000322020910)·Sun, Yanwen [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000159266565)·Hoffmann, Matthias C. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000235969853)·Zhu, Diling [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0009000149419799)·Haskel, Daniel [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)] (ORCID:0000000255325908)·Strempfer, Jörg [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)] (ORCID:0000000264430283)·Li, Mingda [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000270556368)·Mannix, Danny [Univ. of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble (France); European Spallation Source (ESS), Lund (Sweden)] (ORCID:0009000435728488)·Evans, Paul G. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000304216792)
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Interfacial thermal and acoustic phenomena have an important role in quantum science and technology, including in spintronic and spincaloritronic materials and devices. Simultaneous measurements of the low-temperature thermal and acoustic properties of a metal/insulator heterostructure reveal distinct dynamics in the characteristic phonon frequency ranges of acoustic and thermal transport. The measurements probed a heterostructure consisting of a thin film of Pt on the ferrimagnetic insulator gadolinium iron garnet (Gd 3 Fe 5 O 12 , GdIG) grown epitaxially on a gadolinium gallium garnet substrate. Ultrafast structural dynamics within the Pt layer were tracked using time-resolved ultrafast x-ray diffraction and analyzed to probe interfacial acoustic and thermal properties. The rapid heating of the Pt layer by a 400 nm wavelength femtosecond-duration optical pulse produced transient structural changes that provided the stimulus for these measurements. Rapid heating produced a broadband acoustic pulse that was partially reflected by the Pt/GdIG interface. Temporal frequencies up to 740 GHz, corresponding to angular frequencies of several THz, were detected in a wavelet analysis of the acoustic oscillations of the strain in the Pt layer. The structural results were analyzed to determine (i) the acoustic damping coefficient and phonon mean free path in Pt at frequencies of hundreds of GHz and (ii) the Grüneisen anharmonicity parameter. The thermal conductance of the Pt/GdIG interface was tracked using the slower, tens-of-picosecond-scale, dynamics of the initial cooling of the heated Pt layer. Analysis using a model based on the Boltzmann transport equation shows that the phonon transmission is lower at the phonon frequencies relevant to thermal transport than for subterahertz regime acoustics.

Explore related subjects

Acoustic phenomenaAcoustical propertiesHeat transferHeterostructuresMaterials propertiesPhononsPicosecond ultrasonicsThermal transportThin filmsX-ray diffraction

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Sri Gyan, Deepankar [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000316722617), Li, Ni [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000272811828), Chen, Zhantao [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science (SIMES); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000319543868), Geprägs, Stephan [Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Garching (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000309852341), Dietlein, Maxim [Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Garching (Germany); Technical Univ. of Munich (Germany)] (ORCID:0009000986990714), Gross, Rudolf [Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Garching (Germany); Technical Univ. of Munich (Germany); Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST), Munich (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000345247552), Sato, Takahiro [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000322020910), Sun, Yanwen [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000159266565), Hoffmann, Matthias C. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0000000235969853), Zhu, Diling [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)] (ORCID:0009000149419799), Haskel, Daniel [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)] (ORCID:0000000255325908), Strempfer, Jörg [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)] (ORCID:0000000264430283), Li, Mingda [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000270556368), Mannix, Danny [Univ. of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble (France); European Spallation Source (ESS), Lund (Sweden)] (ORCID:0009000435728488), Evans, Paul G. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000304216792). 2025-11-24. Ultrafast low-temperature metal–insulator interface phonon dynamics and heat transport in a Pt/Gd 3 Fe 5 O 12 heterostructure. https://doi.org/10.1063/4.0000778

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

Discover connections

Acoustic phenomena subjectAcoustical properties subjectHEAT TRANSFER subjectHeterostructures subjectMaterials properties subjectPhonons subjectPicosecond ultrasonics subjectThermal transport subjectThin films subjectX-RAY DIFFRACTION subject

Connections use source metadata and explicit phrase matches, not verified experimental comparisons.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related reports

DOE OSTI2026

Role of ion acoustic instability in magnetic reconnection

We report on a first-principles numerical study of magnetic reconnection in plasmas with different initial ion-to-electron temperature ratios. In cases where this ratio is significantly below unity, we observe intense wave activity in the diffusion region, driven by the ion-acoustic instability. Our analysis shows that the dominant macroscopic effect of this instability is to drive substantial ion heating. In contrast to earlier studies reporting significant anomalous resistivity, we find that anomalous contributions due to the ion-acoustic instability are minimal. These results shed light on the dynamical impact of this instability on reconnection processes, offering new insights into the fundamental physics governing collisionless reconnection.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Linking international technical specifications for acoustic characterization of marine energy converter sounds with environmental compliance criteria

As new ocean energy technologies emerge and are deployed for testing and operations, sound emissions are a potential concern for environmental effects to marine life. Consistent acoustic measurement and data analysis methods can help promote comparisons of technologies and transferability between project sites. In 2022, acoustic emissions from a prototype scale wave energy converter (WEC) were characterized for a range of environmental conditions and power generation states in the coastal waters off southern California using a set of international technical specifications. Results from the international technical specification analyses were applied to United States regulatory threshold criteria for acoustic impacts to marine mammals and examined in the context of European underwater noise monitoring guidelines. Weighted 24 hour cumulative sound exposure levels SEL24h calculated from the highest power generation state WEC sound pressure levels were often more than 20 dB below threshold criteria for temporary threshold shifts in five relevant marine mammal hearing groups. Following European Union recommendations for analyses and reporting, WEC sound characterization in third octave bands centered at 63 Hz and 125 Hz show clear spatial decay of WEC-generated noise, with more pronounced attenuation at 63 Hz, and a less marked but still detectable gradient at 125 Hz, collectively suggesting a relatively confined acoustic footprint under the observed conditions. The value of the international technical specification approach is highlighted by the isolation of WEC sounds from the surrounding soundscape. This allows for a robust characterization of acoustic emissions through a range of device power generation and sea states. Furthermore, in threshold-based regulatory contexts like the U.S., this facilitates direct evaluation of source contributions, while in broader monitoring frameworks used in the E.U. it provides a reproducible foundation for assessing the contribution of emerging ocean energy technologies to the underwater acoustic environment.

Haxel, Joseph H. (ORCID:0000000273864761)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cold Spray Cobalt Magnetostrictive Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for High Temperature Structure Monitoring

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation program seeks to develop and qualify advanced sensors for the nuclear industry. Reliable high temperature and high radiation sensors for detection and characterization of structural flaws in pipes, vessels, and structurally critical components is a weakness for both conventional light water reactors with coolant T-hot approaching 350oC, and for advanced reactors with T-hot temperatures in excess of 500 to 800oC. Magnetostrictive Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers using a cold spray cobalt coating have been proposed as a sensor design that can withstand these kinds of temperatures and radiation levels to serve as online sensors to detect flaws before cracks, pits, or erosion/corrosion flaws progress to through-wall failures. This report tests cold spray cobalt as part of a magnetostrictive EMAT for high temperature service. Cobalt is known to have strong magnetostrictive properties however the effect of cold spray application is not well studied. This program was surprised to discover that cold sprayed cobalt exhibited little or no magnetostrictive behavior until it was thermally annealed. Following annealing to 650oC however, cold spray cobalt did exhibit a magnetostrictive response. Work to date prior to this milestone report publication showed that magnetostrictive EMAT was successfully tested to 400oC with an alnico permanent magnet. The program plans to extend testing with an electromagnet to higher temperatures. This follow-on work will be reported under subsequent publications or as a revision to this report.

Glass, Samuel W.↗