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DOE OSTI2014

BICEP2 implications for single-field slow-roll inflation revisited

It is generally believed that in single-field slow-roll inflation, a large tensor-to-scalar ratio r > 0.1 requires inflaton field values close to or above the Planck scale. Recently, it has been claimed that r > 0.15 can be achieved with much smaller inflaton field values Δφ < M{sub Pl}/10. We show that in single-field slow-roll inflation, it is impossible to reconcile r > 0.1 with such small field values, independently of the form of the potential, and that the recent claim to the contrary is based on an invalid approximation. We conclude that the result of the BICEP2 measurement of r > 0.1, if confirmed, truly has the potential to rule out small-field models of single-field slow-roll inflation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Non-Gaussianity in two-field inflation beyond the slow-roll approximation

We use the long-wavelength formalism to investigate the level of bispectral non-Gaussianity produced in two-field inflation models with standard kinetic terms. Even though the Planck satellite has so far not detected any primordial non-Gaussianity, it has tightened the constraints significantly, and it is important to better understand what regions of inflation model space have been ruled out, as well as prepare for the next generation of experiments that might reach the important milestone of Δ f {sub NL}{sup local}=1. We derive an alternative formulation of the previously derived integral expression for f {sub NL}, which makes it easier to physically interpret the result and see which types of potentials can produce large non-Gaussianity. We apply this to the case of a sum potential and show that it is very difficult to satisfy simultaneously the conditions for a large f {sub NL} and the observational constraints on the spectral index n {sub s} . In the case of the sum of two monomial potentials and a constant we explicitly show in which small region of parameter space this is possible, and we show how to construct such a model. Finally, the new general expression for f {sub NL} also allows us to prove that for the sum potential the explicit expressions derived within the slow-roll approximation remain valid even when the slow-roll approximation is broken during the turn of the field trajectory (as long as only the ε slow-roll parameter remains small).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

EVIDENCE OF MULTIPLE SLOW ACOUSTIC OSCILLATIONS IN THE STELLAR FLARING LOOPS OF PROXIMA CENTAURI

We present the first observational evidence of multiple slow acoustic oscillations in the post-flaring loops of the corona of Proxima Centauri using XMM-Newton observations. We find the signature of periodic oscillations localized in the decay phase of the flare in its soft (0.3-10.0 keV) X-ray emissions. Using the standard wavelet tool, we find multiple periodicities of 1261 s and 687 s. These bursty oscillations persist for durations of 90 minutes and 50 minutes, respectively, for more than three cycles. The intensity oscillations with a period of 1261 s may be the signature of the fundamental mode of slow magnetoacoustic waves with a phase speed of 119 km s{sup –1} in a loop of length 7.5 × 10{sup 9} cm, which is initially heated, producing the flare peak temperature of 33 MK and later cooled down in the decay phase and maintained at an average temperature of 7.2 MK. The other period of 687 s may be associated with the first overtone of slow magnetoacoustic oscillations in the flaring loop. The fundamental mode oscillations show dissipation with a damping time of 47 minutes. The period ratio P {sub 1}/P {sub 2} is found to be 1.83, indicating that such oscillations are most likely excited in longitudinal density stratified stellar loops. We estimate the density scale height of the stellar loop system as ∼23 Mm, which is smaller than the hydrostatic scale height of the hot loop system, and implies the existence of non-equilibrium conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

EVOLUTION OF INTERMITTENCY IN THE SLOW AND FAST SOLAR WIND BEYOND THE ECLIPTIC PLANE

We study intermittency as a departure from self-similarity of the solar wind magnetic turbulence and investigate the evolution with the heliocentric distance and latitude. We use data from the Ulysses spacecraft measured during two solar minima (1997–1998 and 2007–2008) and one solar maximum (1999–2001). In particular, by modeling a multifractal spectrum, we revealed the intermittent character of turbulence in the small-scale fluctuations of the magnetic field embedded in the slow and fast solar wind. Generally, at small distances from the Sun, in both the slow and fast solar wind, we observe the high degree of multifractality (intermittency) that decreases somewhat slowly with distance and slowly with latitude. The obtained results seem to suggest that generally intermittency in the solar wind has a solar origin. However, the fast and slow streams, shocks, and other nonlinear interactions can only be considered as the drivers of the intermittent turbulence. It seems that analysis shows that turbulence beyond the ecliptic plane evolves too slowly to maintain the intermittency with the distance and latitude. Moreover, we confirm that the multifractality and intermittency are at a lower level than in the ecliptic, as well as the existence of symmetry with respect to the ecliptic plane, suggesting that there are similar turbulent properties observed in the two hemispheres.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Ultrahigh sensitivity of rotation sensing beyond the trade-off between sensitivity and linewidth by the storage of light in a dynamic slow-light resonator

We propose to employ the storage of light in a dynamically tuned add-drop resonator to realize an optical gyroscope of ultrahigh sensitivity and compact size. Taking the impact of the linewidth of incident light on the sensitivity into account, we investigate the effect of rotation on the propagation of a partially coherent light field in this dynamically tuned slow-light structure. It is demonstrated that the fundamental trade-off between the rotation-detection sensitivity and the linewidth will be overcome and the sensitivity-linewidth product will be enhanced by two orders of magnitude in comparison to that of the corresponding static slow-light structure. Furthermore, the optical gyroscope employing the storage of light in the dynamically tuned add-drop resonator can acquire ultrahigh sensitivity by extremely short fiber length without a high-performance laser source of narrow linewidth and a complex laser frequency stabilization system. Thus the proposal in this paper provides a promising and feasible scheme to realize highly sensitive and compact integrated optical gyroscopes by slow-light structures.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

Slow relaxation of cascade-induced defects in Fe

On-the-fly kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations are performed to investigate slow relaxation of non-equilibrium systems. Point defects induced by 25 keV cascades in α -Fe are shown to lead to a characteristic time-evolution, described by the replenish and relax mechanism. Then, we produce an atomistically-based assessment of models proposed to explain the slow structural relaxation by focusing on the aggregation of 50 vacancies and 25 self-interstital atoms (SIA) in 10-lattice-parameter α-Fe boxes, two processes that are closely related to cascade annealing and exhibit similar time signature. Four atomistic effects explain the timescales involved in the evolution: defect concentration heterogeneities, concentration-enhanced mobility, cluster-size dependent bond energies and defect-induced pressure. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the two main classes of models to explain slow structural relaxation, the Eyring model and the Gibbs model, both play a role to limit the rate of relaxation of these simple point-defect systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2015

Measurement of the scattering cross section of slow neutrons on liquid parahydrogen from neutron transmission

Liquid hydrogen is a dense Bose fluid whose equilibrium properties are both calculable from first principles using various theoretical approaches and of interest for the understanding of a wide range of questions in many-body physics. Unfortunately, the pair correlation function g(r) inferred from neutron scattering measurements of the differential cross section dσ/dΩ from different measurements reported in the literature are inconsistent. We have measured the energy dependence of the total cross section and the scattering cross section for slow neutrons with energies between 0.43 and 16.1 meV on liquid hydrogen at 15.6 K (which is dominated by the parahydrogen component) using neutron transmission measurements on the hydrogen target of the NPDGamma collaboration at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The relationship between the neutron transmission measurement we perform and the total cross section is unambiguous, and the energy range accesses length scales where the pair correlation function is rapidly varying. At 1 meV our measurement is a factor of 3 below the data from previous work. We present evidence that these previous measurements of the hydrogen cross section, which assumed that the equilibrium value for the ratio of orthohydrogen and parahydrogen has been reached in the target liquid, were in fact contaminated with an extra nonequilibrium component of orthohydrogen. Liquid parahydrogen is also a widely used neutron moderator medium, and an accurate knowledge of its slow neutron cross section is essential for the design and optimization of intense slow neutron sources. Furthermore, we describe our measurements and compare them with previous work.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2017

How decoherence affects the probability of slow-roll eternal inflation

We present that slow-roll inflation can become eternal if the quantum variance of the inflaton field around its slowly rolling classical trajectory is converted into a distribution of classical spacetimes inflating at different rates, and if the variance is large enough compared to the rate of classical rolling that the probability of an increased rate of expansion is sufficiently high. Both of these criteria depend sensitively on whether and how perturbation modes of the inflaton interact and decohere. Decoherence is inevitable as a result of gravitationally sourced interactions whose strength are proportional to the slow-roll parameters. However, the weakness of these interactions means that decoherence is typically delayed until several Hubble times after modes grow beyond the Hubble scale. We present perturbative evidence that decoherence of long-wavelength inflaton modes indeed leads to an ensemble of classical spacetimes with differing cosmological evolutions. We introduce the notion of per-branch observables—expectation values with respect to the different decohered branches of the wave function—and show that the evolution of modes on individual branches varies from branch to branch. Thus, single-field slow-roll inflation fulfills the quantum-mechanical criteria required for the validity of the standard picture of eternal inflation. Finally, for a given potential, the delayed decoherence can lead to slight quantitative adjustments to the regime in which the inflaton undergoes eternal inflation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2023

Slow dynamics in a single bead with mechanical conditioning and transient heating

The contact stiffness of an aluminum bead confined between two slabs diminishes upon mechanical conditioning, and then recovers like log(t) after the conditioning ceases. Here that structure is evaluated for its response to transient heating and cooling, with and without accompanying conditioning vibrations. It is found that, under heating or cooling alone, stiffness changes are mostly consistent with temperature dependent material moduli; there is little or no slow dynamics. Hybrid tests in which vibration conditioning is followed by heating or cooling lead to recoveries that begin like log(t) and then become more complex. On subtracting the known response to heating or cooling alone we discern the influence of higher or lower temperatures on slow dynamic recovery from vibrations. It is found that heating accelerates the initial log(t) recovery, but by an amount more than predicted by an Arrhenius model of thermally activated barrier penetrations. Furthermore, transient cooling has no discernable effect, in contrast to the Arrhenius prediction that it slows recovery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2015

Slowing of magnetic reconnection concurrent with weakening plasma inflows and increasing collisionality in strongly-driven laser-plasma experiments

An evolution of magnetic reconnection behavior, from fast jets to the slowing of reconnection and the establishment of a stable current sheet, has been observed in strongly-driven, β ≲ 20 laser-produced plasma experiments. This process has been inferred to occur alongside a slowing of plasma inflows carrying the oppositely-directed magnetic fields as well as the evolution of plasma conditions from collisionless to collisional. High-resolution proton radiography has revealed unprecedented detail of the forced interaction of magnetic fields and super-Alfvénic electron jets (V jet ~ 20V A ) ejected from the reconnection region, indicating that two-fluid or collisionless magnetic reconnection occurs early in time. The absence of jets and the persistence of strong, stable magnetic fields at late times indicates that the reconnection process slows down, while plasma flows stagnate and plasma conditions evolve to a cooler, denser, more collisional state. These results demonstrate that powerful initial plasma flows are not sufficient to force a complete reconnection of magnetic fields, even in the strongly-driven regime.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Evidence of anatase intergrowths formed during slow cooling of reduced ilmenite

Controlling the parameters during synthetic rutile production is essential to minimize production costs and ensure final product quality. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) is typically used within the industry to guide process control. This work investigated the source of unusual features observed in the PXRD pattern of a slow-cooled reduced ilmenite (RI), which were not observed for a rapid-cooled RI. For the slow-cooled RI, the 002 peak of M 3 O 5 (anosovite) had disappeared and the intensity of the $ \overline{2}03\ $, 203, 204 and 402 peaks had decreased significantly compared to the pattern for the rapid-cooled RI. Using transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, the authors attribute these features to M 3 O 5 –anatase intergrowth formation, which causes a loss in long-range order along the M 3 O 5 c axis. Strong diffuse streaking in the SAED patterns was also evident and supported the presence of disordered intergrowths from the oxidation of M 3 O 5 . PDF analysis showed a significant improvement in the fit to the data for the slow-cooled RI, primarily in the <17 Å region, when anatase was added to the PDF model. The results presented here highlight the importance of the reduction and cooling stages during the formation of these industrially relevant RI minerals, which may be used to direct the production process and final TiO 2 product quality.

D'Angelo, Anita M. (ORCID:0000000230685288)↗

DOE OSTI2022

Nitrogen increases early‐stage and slows late‐stage decomposition across diverse grasslands

1. To evaluate how increased anthropogenic nutrient inputs alter carbon cycling in grasslands, we conducted a litter decomposition study across 20 temperate grasslands on three continents within the Nutrient Network, a globally distributed nutrient enrichment experiment 2. We determined the effects of addition of experimental nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium plus micronutrient (K μ ) on decomposition of a common tree leaf litter in a long-term study (maximum of 7 years; exact deployment period varied across sites). The use of higher order decomposition models allowed us to distinguish between the effects of nutrients on early- versus late-stage decomposition. 3. Across continents, the addition of N (but not other nutrients) accelerated early-stage decomposition and slowed late-stage decomposition, increasing the slowly decomposing fraction by 28% and the overall litter mean residence time by 58%. 4. Synthesis. Using a novel, long-term cross-site experiment, we found widespread evidence that N enhances the early stages of above-ground plant litter decomposition across diverse and widespread temperate grassland sites but slows late-stage decomposition. These findings were corroborated by fitting the data to multiple decomposition models and have implications for N effects on soil organic matter formation. For example, following N enrichment, increased microbial processing of litter substrates early in decomposition could promote the production and transfer of low molecular weight compounds to soils and potentially enhance the stabilization of mineral-associated organic matter. By contrast, by slowing late-stage decomposition, N enrichment could promote particulate organic matter (POM) accumulation. Such hypotheses deserve further testing.

Nutrient Network (NutNet)↗

DOE OSTI2020

Slow slip source characterized by lithological and geometric heterogeneity

Slow slip events (SSEs) accommodate a significant proportion of tectonic plate motion at subduction zones, yet little is known about the faults that actually host them. The shallow depth (<2 km) of well-documented SSEs at the Hikurangi subduction zone offshore New Zealand offers a unique opportunity to link geophysical imaging of the subduction zone with direct access to incoming material that represents the megathrust fault rocks hosting slow slip. Two recent International Ocean Discovery Program Expeditions sampled this incoming material before it is entrained immediately down-dip along the shallow plate interface. Drilling results, tied to regional seismic reflection images, reveal heterogeneous lithologies with highly variable physical properties entering the SSE source region. These observations suggest that SSEs and associated slow earthquake phenomena are promoted by lithological, mechanical, and frictional heterogeneity within the fault zone, enhanced by geometric complexity associated with subduction of rough crust.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Semi-Implicit Computation of Fast Modes in a Scheme Integrating Slow Modes by a Leapfrog Method Based on a Selective Implicit Time Filter

Abstract A scheme for integration of atmospheric equations containing terms with differing time scales is developed. The method employs a filtered leapfrog scheme utilizing a fourth-order implicit time filter with one function evaluation per time step to compute slow-propagating phenomena such as advection and rotation. The terms involving fast-propagating modes are handled implicitly with an unconditionally stable method that permits application of larger time steps and faster computations compared to fully explicit treatment. Implementation using explicit and recurrent formulation is provided. Stability analysis demonstrates that the method is conditionally stable for any combination of frequencies involved in the slow and fast terms as they approach the origin. The implicit filter used in the method damps the computational modes without noticeably sacrificing the accuracy of the physical mode. TheO[(Δt 4 )] accuracy for amplitude errors achieved by the implicitly filtered leapfrog is preserved in applications where terms responsible for fast propagation are integrated with a semi-implicit method. Detailed formulation of the method for soundproof nonhydrostatic anelastic equations is provided. Procedures for implementation in global spectral shallow-water models are also given. Examples comparing numerical and analytical solutions for linear gravity waves demonstrate the accuracy of the scheme. The performance is also shown in more practical nonlinear applications, where numerical solutions accomplished by the method are evaluated against those computed from a scheme where the slow terms are handled by the third-order Runge–Kutta scheme. It demonstrates that the method is able to accurately resolve fine-scale dynamics of Kelvin–Helmholtz shear instabilities, the evolution of density current, and nonlinear drifts of twin tropical cyclones.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences↗

DOE OSTI2016

Slow light Mach-Zehnder interferometer as label-free biosensor with scalable sensitivity

Our design, fabrication, and characterization of a label-free Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) optical biosensor that incorporates a highly dispersive one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal in one arm are presented. The sensitivity of this slow light MZI-based sensor scales with the length of the slow light photonic crystal region. The numerically simulated sensitivity of a MZI sensor with a 16 μm long slow light region is 115,000 rad/RIU-cm, which is sevenfold higher than traditional MZI biosensors with millimeter-length sensing regions. Moreover, the experimental bulk refractive index detection sensitivity of 84,000 rad/RIU-cm is realized and nucleic acid detection is also demonstrated.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Machine Learning for Slow Spill Regulation in the Fermilab Delivery Ring for Mu2e

A third-integer resonant slow extraction system is being developed for the Fermilab’s Delivery Ring to deliver protons to the Mu2e experiment. During a slow extraction process, the beam on target is liable to experience small intensity variations due to many factors. Owing to the experiment’s strict requirements in the quality of the spill, a Spill Regulation System (SRS) is currently under design. The SRS primarily consists of three components - slow regulation, fast regulation, and harmonic content tracker. In this presentation, we shall present the investigations of using Machine Learning (ML) in the fast regulation system, including further optimizations of PID controller gains for the fast regulation, prospects of an ML agent completely replacing the PID controller using supervised learning schemes such as Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) ML models, the simulated impact and limitation of machine response characteristics on the effectiveness of both PID and ML regulation of the spill. We also present here nascent results of Reinforcement Learning efforts, including continuous-action soft actor-critic methods, to regulate the spill rate.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Persistence of slow fluctuations in the overdoped regime of Ba(Fe 1-x Rh x ) 2 As 2 superconductors

We present nuclear magnetic resonance evidence that very slow (1 MHz) spin fluctuations persist into the overdoped regime of Ba(Fe 1-x Rh x ) 2 As 2 superconductors. Measurements of the 75 As spin echo decay rate, obtained both with Hahn Echo and Carr Purcell Meiboom Gill pulse sequences, show that the slowing down of spin uctuations can be described by short-range diffusive dynamics, likely involving domain walls motions separating (π/a, 0) from (0, π/a) correlated regions. This slowing down of the fluctuations is weakly sensitive to the external magnetic field and, although fading away with doping, it extends deeply into the overdoped regime.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2023

Feasibility of using crystal channeling for the beam loss mitigation in Slow Extraction at 8GeV

The mitigation of the beam losses in slow extraction is becoming more and more demanding in accelerator applications for HEP as the beam power is gradually increasing. The successful demonstration of using the proton beam channeling at 450GeV to deflect the beam away from the extraction septa opens the new levels of improving the slow extraction efficiency. It is yet to be demonstrated that this method is still effective at low and medium proton beam energies. Here we present the promising results of the recent computer simulation studies of the septum shadowing at 8GeV for the Mu2e project slow extraction at Fermilab. Depending on the beam parameters the beam loss reduction is shown to be achievable in the range of 1/3 to factor of 3.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗