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At least 181 records · Page 10

Wear Test Demonstration of a Technique to Mitigate Keeper Erosion in a High-Current LaB6 Hollow Cathode

The results of a wear test on a 100-A LaB6 hollow cathode are presented as verification of a technique to mitigate keeper erosion caused by sputtering from anomalously high-energy ions. The ions responsible for this erosion have been theorized to result from the onset ion acoustic turbulence in the plume of the cathode. The proposed technique to minimize the erosion relies on identifying operating conditions where the energy of the ion acoustic turbulence is low. 100 hour wear tests are conducted on a high-current hollow cathode with a molybdenum keeper at three operating conditions: two with low turbulence levels and one with high turbulence levels. It is demonstrated that the keeper exhibits low levels erosion (at a peak erosion rate of around 0.035 um/hour) that can be explained by classical mechanisms at the low turbulence states, and anomalously high sputtering (at a peak erosion rate of.07 um/hour) at the high erosion state.

Ho, Amanda K.↗

Relativistic wave and particle mechanics formulated without classical mass

Highlights: > Formal derivation of the Klein-Gordon equation with an invariant frequency. > Formal derivation of the relativistic version of Newton's equation. > The classical mass is replaced by the invariant frequency. > The invariant frequencies for selected elementary particles are deduced. > The choice of natural units resulting from the developed theories is discussed. - Abstract: The fact that the concept of classical mass plays an important role in formulating relativistic theories of waves and particles is well-known. However, recent studies show that Galilean invariant theories of waves and particles can be formulated with the so-called 'wave mass', which replaces the classical mass and allows attaining higher accuracy of performing calculations [J.L. Fry and Z.E. Musielak, Ann. Phys. 325 (2010) 1194]. The main purpose of this paper is to generalize these results and formulate fundamental (Poincare invariant) relativistic theories of waves and particles without the classical mass. In the presented approach, the classical mass is replaced by an invariant frequency that only involves units of time. The invariant frequencies for various elementary particles are deduced from experiments and their relationship to the corresponding classical and wave mass for each particle is described. It is shown that relativistic wave mechanics with the invariant frequency is independent of the Planck constant, and that such theory can attain higher accuracy of performing calculations. The choice of natural units resulting from the developed theories of waves and particles is also discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

The classical and quantum mechanics of a particle on a knot

A free particle is constrained to move on a knot obtained by winding around a putative torus. The classical equations of motion for this system are solved in a closed form. The exact energy eigenspectrum, in the thin torus limit, is obtained by mapping the time-independent Schrödinger equation to the Mathieu equation. In the general case, the eigenvalue problem is described by the Hill equation. Finite-thickness corrections are incorporated perturbatively by truncating the Hill equation. Comparisons and contrasts between this problem and the well-studied problem of a particle on a circle (planar rigid rotor) are performed throughout.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

InGaAs tunnel diodes for the calibration of semi-classical and quantum mechanical band-to-band tunneling models

Promising predictions are made for III-V tunnel-field-effect transistor (FET), but there is still uncertainty on the parameters used in the band-to-band tunneling models. Therefore, two simulators are calibrated in this paper; the first one uses a semi-classical tunneling model based on Kane's formalism, and the second one is a quantum mechanical simulator implemented with an envelope function formalism. The calibration is done for In{sub 0.53}Ga{sub 0.47}As using several p+/intrinsic/n+ diodes with different intrinsic region thicknesses. The dopant profile is determined by SIMS and capacitance-voltage measurements. Error bars are used based on statistical and systematic uncertainties in the measurement techniques. The obtained parameters are in close agreement with theoretically predicted values and validate the semi-classical and quantum mechanical models. Finally, the models are applied to predict the input characteristics of In{sub 0.53}Ga{sub 0.47}As n- and p-lineTFET, with the n-lineTFET showing competitive performance compared to MOSFET.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Emergent quantum mechanics at the boundary of a local classical lattice model

We formulate a model in which quantum mechanics emerges from classical mechanics. Given a local Hamiltonian H acting on n qubits, we define a local classical model with an additional spatial dimension whose boundary dynamics is approximately—but to arbitrary precision—described by Schrödinger's equation and H. The bulk consists of a lattice of classical bits that propagate towards the boundary through a circuit of stochastic matrices. The bits reaching the boundary are governed by a probability distribution whose deviation from the uniform distribution can be interpreted as the quantum-mechanical wave function. Bell nonlocality is achieved because information can move through the bulk much faster than the boundary speed of light. Finally, we analytically estimate how much the model deviates from quantum mechanics, and we validate these estimates using computer simulations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Understanding the Role of Solvation Forces on the Preferential Attachment of Nanoparticles in Liquid

Optimization of colloidal nanoparticle synthesis techniques requires an understanding of underlying particle growth mechanisms. Non-classical growth mechanisms are particularly important as they affect nanoparticle size and shape distributions which in turn influence functional properties. For example, preferential attachment of nanoparticles is known to lead to the formation of mesocrystals, although the formation mechanism is currently not well understood. Here we employ in situ liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations to demonstrate that the experimentally observed preference for end-to-end attachment of silver nanorods is a result of weaker solvation forces occurring at rod ends. SMD reveals that when the side of a nanorod approaches another rod, perturbation in the surface bound water at the nanorod surface creates significant energy barriers to attachment. Additionally, rod morphology (i.e. facet shape) effects can explain the majority of the side attachment effects that are observed experimentally.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Probing the Boundary between Classical and Quantum Mechanics by Analyzing the Energy Dependence of Single-Electron Scattering Events at the Nanoscale

The relation between the energy-dependent particle and wave descriptions of electron–matter interactions on the nanoscale was analyzed by measuring the delocalization of an evanescent field from energy-filtered amplitude images of sample/vacuum interfaces with a special aberration-corrected electron microscope. The spatial field extension coincided with the energy-dependent self-coherence length of propagating wave packets that obeyed the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, and underwent a Goos–Hänchen shift. The findings support the view that wave packets are created by self-interferences during coherent–inelastic Coulomb interactions with a decoherence phase close to Δφ = 0.5 rad. Due to a strictly reciprocal dependence on energy, the wave packets shrink below atomic dimensions for electron energy losses beyond 1000 eV, and thus appear particle-like. Consequently, our observations inevitably include pulse-like wave propagations that stimulate structural dynamics in nanomaterials at any electron energy loss, which can be exploited to unravel time-dependent structure–function relationships on the nanoscale.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fractional corresponding operator in quantum mechanics and applications: A uniform fractional Schrödinger equation in form and fractional quantization methods

In this paper we use Dirac function to construct a fractional operator called fractional corresponding operator, which is the general form of momentum corresponding operator. Then we give a judging theorem for this operator and with this judging theorem we prove that R–L, G–L, Caputo, Riesz fractional derivative operator and fractional derivative operator based on generalized functions, which are the most popular ones, coincide with the fractional corresponding operator. As a typical application, we use the fractional corresponding operator to construct a new fractional quantization scheme and then derive a uniform fractional Schrödinger equation in form. Additionally, we find that the five forms of fractional Schrödinger equation belong to the particular cases. As another main result of this paper, we use fractional corresponding operator to generalize fractional quantization scheme by using Lévy path integral and use it to derive the corresponding general form of fractional Schrödinger equation, which consequently proves that these two quantization schemes are equivalent. Meanwhile, relations between the theory in fractional quantum mechanics and that in classic quantum mechanics are also discussed. As a physical example, we consider a particle in an infinite potential well. We give its wave functions and energy spectrums in two ways and find that both results are the same.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Scalability of a Low-Cost Multi-Teraflop Linux Cluster for High-End Classical Atomistic and Quantum Mechanical Simulations

Scalability of a low-cost, Intel Xeon-based, multi-Teraflop Linux cluster is tested for two high-end scientific applications: Classical atomistic simulation based on the molecular dynamics method and quantum mechanical calculation based on the density functional theory. These scalable parallel applications use space-time multiresolution algorithms and feature computational-space decomposition, wavelet-based adaptive load balancing, and spacefilling-curve-based data compression for scalable I/O. Comparative performance tests are performed on a 1,024-processor Linux cluster and a conventional higher-end parallel supercomputer, 1,184-processor IBM SP4. The results show that the performance of the Linux cluster is comparable to that of the SP4. We also study various effects, such as the sharing of memory and L2 cache among processors, on the performance.

Kikuchi, Hideaki↗

Classical limits of quantum mechanics on a non-commutative configuration space

We consider a model of non-commutative quantum mechanics given by two harmonic oscillators over a non-commutative two dimensional configuration space. We study possible ways of removing the non-commutativity based on the classical limit context known as anti-Wick quantization. We show that removal of non-commutativity from the configuration space and from the canonical operators is not commuting operation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Relative State Counting for Semiclassical Black Holes

It has been shown that entropy differences between certain states of perturbative quantum gravity can be computed without specifying an ultraviolet completion. This is analogous to the situation in classical statistical mechanics, where entropy differences are defined but absolute entropy is not. Unlike in classical statistical mechanics, however, the entropy differences computed in perturbative quantum gravity do not have a clear physical interpretation. Here we construct a family of perturbative black hole states for which the entropy difference can be interpreted as a relative counting of states. Conceptually, this Letter begins with the algebra of mass fluctuations around a fixed black hole background, and points out that while this is a type I algebra, it is not a factor and therefore has no canonical definition of entropy. As in previous work, coupling the mass fluctuations to quantum matter embeds the mass algebra within a type II factor, in which entropy differences (but not absolute entropies) are well defined. It is then shown that for microcanonical wave functions of mass fluctuation, the type II entropy difference equals the logarithm of the dimension of the extra Hilbert space that is needed to map one microcanonical window to another using gauge-invariant unitaries. The Letter closes with comments on type II entropy difference in a more general class of states, where the von Neumann entropy difference does not have a physical interpretation, but “one-shot” entropy differences do. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Akers, Chris (ORCID:0000000227929827)↗

Molecular View of Protein Crystal Growth: Molecular Interactions, Surface Reconstruction and Growth Mechanism

Studies of the growth and molecular packing of tetragonal lysozyme crystals suggest that there is an underlying molecular growth mechanism, in addition to the classical one involving screw dislocation/2D) nucleation growth. These crystals are constructed by strongly bonded molecular chains forming helices about the 43 axes. The helices are connected to each other by weaker bonds. Crystal growth proceeds by the formation of these 4(sub 3) helices, which would explain some unexpected observations by earlier investigators, such as bimolecular growth steps on the (110) face. Another consequence of these molecular considerations is that only one of two possible packing arrangements could occur on the crystal faces and that their growth unit was at least a tetramer corresponding to the 4(sub 3) helix. Two new high resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques were developed to directly confirm these predictions on tetragonal lysozyme crystals. Most earlier investigations of protein crystal growth with AFM were in the low resolution mode which is adequate to investigate the classical growth mechanisms, but cannot resolve molecular features and mechanisms. Employing the first of the newly developed techniques, high resolution AFM images of the (110) face were compared with the theoretically constructed images for the two possible packing arrangements on this face. The prediction that the molecular packing arrangement of these faces corresponded to that for complete 4(sub 3) helices was confirmed in this manner. This investigation also showed the occurrence of surface reconstruction on protein crystals. The molecules on the surface of the (110) face were found to pack closer along the 4(sub 3) axes than those in the interior. The second new AFM technique was used to follow the growth process by measuring the dimensions of individual growth units on the (110) face. Linescans across a growth step, performed near the saturation limit of the crystals, allowed the growth unit dimensions to be measured as they were being incorporated into the crystal. These measurements showed that growth on the (110) face proceeded by the formation of new 4(sub 3) helices from the addition of many growth units of at least tetramer size. This is the first time that a time-resolved AFM technique has been used to observe individual molecular events during crystal growth.

Nadarajah, Arunan↗

In Situ TEM and AFM Investigation of Morphological Controls during the Growth of Single Crystal BaWO4

Barium tungstate (BaWO4) is a widely investigated inorganic optical material due to its attractive emission properties. Because those properties strongly depend on crystal structure and morphology, numerous approaches to controlling growth have been pursued. However, an understanding of the growth mechanisms that lead to the wide range of morphologies obtained to date is largely lacking, and most attempts to develop that understanding have been based on post-growth analyses. Significantly, such analyses have led to the conclusion that certain BaWO4 crystal morphologies result from a nonclassical growth process of oriented attachment. In this work, we systematically varied the morphology of BaWO4 crystals by adjusting the relative concentrations of solute, water, and ethanol. We then explored the growth mechanism leading to the observed range of morphologies through in situ TEM and in situ AFM. We find that even the most complex BaWO4 morphologies occur through purely classical growth mechanisms largely controlled by the content of solute and ethanol. The latter acts as an impurity to poison growth at low concentrations and low solute levels, but leads to development of growth instabilities and eventual dendritic growth at high alcohol and moderate solute concentrations by driving up the supersaturation. These findings also highlight the necessity of in situ experiments to interpret ex situ observations of crystal growth and decipher the controlling mechanisms.

Liu, Lili↗

Modeling the corrosion of steel casing and the damage of well cement in a borehole system

This work presents the effect of chloride-induced corrosion in an underground borehole system, specifically considering the steel casing and further damage to the surrounding cement. In the past four decades, oil well cement has been successfully used for underground construction. However, high concentrations of chloride ions gradually degrade the functionality and durability of well cement. Gasses and liquids can leak from deterioration caused by chloride ions, and thus motivate this study. The chemo-mechanical coupling diffusion model and a classical fracture mechanics model are applied. The model is validated with OPC concrete corrosion data from literature, and then applied to well cement using experimentally obtained material property data. The time when crack initiation, peak pressure, and complete fracture is reached in the model of the cement sheath provides a quantification of the expected service life of the borehole system.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantum random number generation

Quantum physics can be exploited to generate true random numbers, which play important roles in many applications, especially in cryptography. Genuine randomness from the measurement of a quantum system reveals the inherent nature of quantumness -- coherence, an important feature that differentiates quantum mechanics from classical physics. The generation of genuine randomness is generally considered impossible with only classical means. Based on the degree of trustworthiness on devices, quantum random number generators (QRNGs) can be grouped into three categories. The first category, practical QRNG, is built on fully trusted and calibrated devices and typically can generate randomness at a high speed by properly modeling the devices. The second category is self-testing QRNG, where verifiable randomness can be generated without trusting the actual implementation. The third category, semi-self-testing QRNG, is an intermediate category which provides a tradeoff between the trustworthiness on the device and the random number generation speed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Discerning Influences from Enthalpy and Entropy at Aqueous Interfaces Involved in Biomass Conversions in Porous Catalysts

Project Summary: The goal in this proposal is to learn how solvent influences the enthalpies and entropies of catalytic species in zeolite pores. Specifically, the physical, chemical, and structural features of solvent, catalytic species, and zeolite pores that determine enthalpies and entropies of solvation in solution phase biomass conversions will be interrogated using multiscale simulations and machine learning. Multiscale simulations are based off of existing strategies and employ quantum mechanics and classical molecular dynamics, providing an excellent balance between chemical accuracy and computational expense. They are capable of calculating enthalpies and entropies of solvation separately and have been validated in prior work to achieve high accuracy compared to their parent methods.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗