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At least 235 records · Page 13

Data-driven Chaos Indicator for Nonlinear Dynamics and Applications on Storage Ring Lattice Design

A data-driven chaos indicator concept is introduced to characterize the degree of chaos for nonlinear dynamical systems. The indicator is represented by the prediction accuracy of surrogate models established purely from data. It provides a metric for the predictability of nonlinear motions in a given system. When using the indicator to implement a tune-scan for a quadratic Hénon map, the main resonances and their asymmetric stop-band widths can be identified. When applied to particle transportation in a storage ring, as particle motion becomes more chaotic, its surrogate model prediction accuracy decreases correspondingly. Therefore, the prediction accuracy, acting as a chaos indicator, can be used directly as the objective for nonlinear beam dynamics optimization. This method provides a different perspective on nonlinear beam dynamics and an efficient method for nonlinear lattice optimization. Applications in dynamic aperture optimization are demonstrated as real world examples.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Exploring Hilbert space on a budget: Novel benchmark set and performance metric for testing electronic structure methods in the regime of strong correlation

This work explores the ability of classical electronic structure methods to efficiently represent (compress) the information content of full configuration interaction (FCI) wave functions. We introduce a benchmark set of four hydrogen model systems of different dimensionalities and distinctive electronic structures: a 1D chain, a 1D ring, a 2D triangular lattice, and a 3D close-packed pyramid. To assess the ability of a computational method to produce accurate and compact wave functions, we introduce the accuracy volume, a metric that measures the number of variational parameters necessary to achieve a target energy error. Using this metric and the hydrogen models, we examine the performance of three classical deterministic methods: (i) selected configuration interaction (sCI) realized both via an a posteriori (ap-sCI) and variational selection of the most important determinants, (ii) an a posteriori singular value decomposition (SVD) of the FCI tensor (SVD-FCI), and (iii) the matrix product state representation obtained via the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG). We find that the DMRG generally gives the most efficient wave function representation for all systems, particularly in the 1D chain with a localized basis. For the 2D and 3D systems, all methods (except DMRG) perform best with a delocalized basis, and the efficiency of sCI and SVD-FCI is closer to that of DMRG. For larger analogs of the models, the DMRG consistently requires the fewest parameters but still scales exponentially in 2D and 3D systems, and the performance of SVD-FCI is essentially equivalent to that of ap-sCI.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Numerical modeling of a proton spin-flipping system in the spin transparency mode at an integer spin resonance in JINR's Nuclotron

In this paper we propose a lattice insertion for the Nuclotron ring called a “spin navigator” that can adjust any direction of the proton polarization in the orbital plane using weak solenoids. The polarization control is realized in the spin transparency mode at the energy of 108 MeV, which corresponds to the integer spin resonance γ G = 2. The requirements on the navigator solenoid fields are specified considering the criteria for stability of the spin motion during any manipulation of the polarization direction in an experiment. Additionally, this paper presents the results of numerical modeling of the proton spin dynamics in the Nuclotron ring operated in the spin transparency mode. The verified spin navigator is aimed at an experimental study of a spin-flipping system using the Nuclotron ring. The results are relevant to the NICA (JINR), EIC (BNL) and COSY (FZJ) facilities where the spin transparency mode can be applied for polarization control.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Catalytic production of δ-valerolactone (DVL) from biobased 2-hydroxytetrahydropyran (HTHP) – Combined experimental and modeling study

δ-Valerolactone (DVL) is a five-carbon (C5) cyclic ester that can undergo ring-opening polymerization to yield high-performance, biocompatible polyesters. But current market prices of C5 chemicals like DVL are very high due to poor availability of C5 feedstock in petroleum. Herein, we demonstrate a novel route to DVL synthesis via dehydrogenation of biomass-derived 2-hydroxytetrahydropyran (HTHP) over Cu/SiO 2 without the use of toxic reagents. Since HTHP exists in thermal equilibrium with 3,4-dihydropyran (DHP) via dehydration, and with 2,2’-oxybis(tetrahydropyran) and 5-(tetrahydropyran-2-yloxy)pentanal via acetalization, we have also determined the thermochemistry (ΔH rxn and ΔG rxn ) of each competing reaction using density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the M06-2X/cc-pVTZ level. Finally, by developing a kinetic model of all 8 reactions involved, we have achieved 84% selectivity to DVL at 150°C in a packed bed reactor for over 72 hours of time on stream.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A j eff = 1/2 Kitaev material on the triangular lattice: the case of NaRuO 2

Motivated by recent reports of a quantum-disordered ground state in the triangular lattice compound NaRuO 2 , we derive a j eff = 1/2 magnetic model for this system by means of first-principles calculations. The pseudospin Hamiltonian is dominated by bond-dependent off-diagonal Γ interactions, complemented by a ferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange and a notably antiferromagnetic Kitaev term. In addition to bilinear interactions, we find a sizable four-spin ring exchange contribution with a strongly anisotropic character, which has been so far overlooked when modeling Kitaev materials. The analysis of the magnetic model, based on the minimization of the classical energy and exact diagonalization of the quantum Hamiltonian, points toward the existence of a rather robust easy-plane ferromagnetic order, which cannot be easily destabilized by physically relevant perturbations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Hierarchical organization and assembly of the archaeal cell sheath from an amyloid-like protein

Abstract Certain archaeal cells possess external proteinaceous sheath, whose structure and organization are both unknown. By cellular cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET), here we have determined sheath organization of the prototypical archaeon, Methanospirillum hungatei . Fitting of Alphafold-predicted model of the sheath protein (SH) monomer into the 7.9 Å-resolution structure reveals that the sheath cylinder consists of axially stacked β-hoops, each of which is comprised of two to six 400 nm-diameter rings of β-strand arches (β-rings). With both similarities to and differences from amyloid cross-β fibril architecture, each β-ring contains two giant β-sheets contributed by ~ 450 SH monomers that entirely encircle the outer circumference of the cell. Tomograms of immature cells suggest models of sheath biogenesis: oligomerization of SH monomers into β-ring precursors after their membrane-proximal cytoplasmic synthesis, followed by translocation through the unplugged end of a dividing cell, and insertion of nascent β-hoops into the immature sheath cylinder at the junction of two daughter cells.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Ca-isotopes as a robust tracer of magmatic differentiation

The large mass difference (~10%) between the two most abundant isotopes of calcium, 40 Ca and 44 Ca, gives Ca great potential in tracking mass-dependent fractionation during magmatic processes. Resolvable Ca-isotope fractionation during fractional crystallization of magma, particularly by feldspar in evolved melts, has been theoretically inferred but not robustly tested in nature. To further explore the effects of magmatic differentiation on Ca-isotope systematics, we studied the late-Permian alkaline igneous suite of the Øyangen Caldera, Oslo Rift, Norway, consisting of volcanic and intrusive units ranging from basanitic to rhyolitic compositions. Major and trace element variations and modeling demonstrate that the main series of samples (N = 21), including basanites, ring-dyke syenites, and central-dome syenites, likely documents a co-genetic and closed-system fractional crystallization sequence. Our data show minimal δ 44/40 Ca variation (< 0.05 ‰) in the intermediate magma and a marked increase in δ 44/40 Ca in the felsic magma of the Øyangen Caldera (from 0.62 ± 0.02 ‰ to 1.15 ± 0.03 ‰ relative to Ca standard, SRM915a). The systematic increase is best explained by equilibrium isotopic fractionation dominated by alkali feldspar in the fractionating mineral assemblage. This is further supported by strong correlations between δ 44/40 Ca, CaO, and Eu/Eu* in the main-series samples. Implementing a Monte Carlo approach, isotopic modeling of the liquid line of descent using Rayleigh fractionation is highly consistent with the observed Ca-isotope evolution. For the first time, we confirm prominent Ca stable isotope fractionation in felsic-stage differentiation of alkaline magma and constrain the isotope fractionation factors of plagioclase and K-feldspar. Integrated with extant estimations on mineral fractionation factors from the literature, our results suggest increasing fractionation effects of rock-forming minerals with decreasing Ca content. Finally, the affirmation of significant Ca-isotope fractionation in alkaline magma by feldspar empowers the application of Ca as a versatile tracer of crustal evolution, allowing further tests in other magmatic conditions across various planetary objects.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Online Modelling and Optimization of Nonlinear Integrable Systems

Nonlinear integrable optics was recently proposed as a design approach to increase the limits on beam brightness and intensity imposed by fast collective instabilities. To study these systems experimentally, a new research electron and proton storage ring, the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator, was constructed and recently commissioned at Fermilab. Beam-based diagnostics and online modelling of nonlinear systems presents unique challenges - in this paper, we report on our efforts to develop optimization methods suited for such lattices. We explore the effectiveness of neural networks as fast online surrogate estimators, and integrate them into a beam-based tuning algorithm. We also develop a method of knob dimensionality reduction and subsequent robust multivariate optimization for maximizing key performance metrics under complicated lattice optics constraints.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Probing jet base emission of M87* with the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope observations

We investigate the presence and spatial characteristics of the jet base emission in M87* at 230 GHz, enabled by the significantly enhanced (u,v) coverage in the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations. The integration of the 12−m Kitt Peak Telescope (USA) and NOEMA (France) stations into the array introduces two critical intermediate-length baselines to SMT (USA) and IRAM 30−m (Spain), providing sensitivity to emission structures at spatial scales of ∼250 μas and ∼2500 μas (∼ 0.02 pc and ∼ 0.02 pc). Without these new baselines, previous EHT observations of the source in 2017 and 2018 lacked the capability to constrain emission on large scales, where a “missing flux” of order ∼1 Jy is expected to reside. To probe these scales, we analyzed closure phases–robust against station-based gain calibration errors–and model the jet base emission using a simple Gaussian component offset from the compact ring emission at spatial separations > 100 μas. Our analysis revealed a Gaussian feature centered at (ΔRA ≈ 320 μ as, ΔDec. ≈ 60 μ as), projected separation of ≈ 5500 AU, with an estimated flux density of only ∼60 mJy, implying that most of the missing flux identified in previous EHT studies had to originate from different, larger scales. Brighter emission at the relevant spatial scales is firmly ruled out, and the data do not favor more complex models. This component aligns with the inferred position of the large-scale jet and is therefore physically consistent with the emission of the jet base. While our findings point to detectable jet base emission at 230 GHz, the limited coverage provided by only two intermediate baselines limits our ability to robustly reconstruct its morphology. Consequently, we treated the recovered Gaussian as an upper limit on the jet base flux density. Future EHT observations with expanded intermediate baseline coverage will be essential to constrain the structure and nature of this component with higher precision.

accretion, accretion disks↗

Formation and Evolution of Metallocene Single-Molecule Circuits with Direct Gold-π Links

Single molecule circuits with group 8 metallocenes are formed without additional linker groups in Scanning Tunnelling Microscope-based break junction (STMBJ) measurements at cryogenic and room temperature conditions with gold (Au) electrodes. We investigate the nature of this direct gold-π binding motif and its affect on molecular conductance and persistence characteristics during junction evolution. The measurement technique under cryogenic conditions tracks molecular plateaus through the full cycle of extension and compression. Analysis reveals that junction persistence when the metal electrodes are pushed together correlates with whether electrodes are locally sharp or blunt, suggesting distinct scenarios for metallocene junction formation and evolution. The top and bottom surfaces of the "barrel" shaped metallocenes present the electron-rich π system of cyclopentadienyl rings which interacts with the gold electrodes in two distinct ways. An undercoordinated gold atom on a sharp tip forms a donor-acceptor bond to a specific carbon atom in the ring. However, a small, flat patch on a dull tip can bind more strongly to the ring as a whole through Van der Waals interactions. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations of model electrode structures provide an atomic-scale picture of these scenarios, demonstrating the role of these bonding motifs during junction evolution and showing that the conductance is relatively independent of tip atomic-scale structure. Furthermore, the non-specific interaction of the cyclopentadienyl rings with the electrodes enables extended conductance plateaus, a mechanism distinct from that identified for the more commonly studied, rod-shaped organic molecular wires.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Quantum states of cylindrical surface charge density for modeling plasmonic circuit elements: Nanowires, nanorods, cavities, and waveguides

Nanostructures in the form of ellipsoids, prolate spheroids, rings, and cylinders are known to exhibit resonant surface and cavity modes with applications in nanophotonics and plasmonics and, more recently, in novel quantum experiments, in which control of plasmons and their interactions with plasmons, photons, phonons, excitons, and quantum emitters are desired. Nanorods and nanowires are examples of plasmonic structures with spectral properties of potential use as interconnects and circuit components. Additionally, estimates of the surface properties of these components are needed in circuit design and integrated systems. Here, we present a quantum Hamiltonian for the cylindrical surface charge density. We then study the photon excitation of plasmons on the cylindrical surface and calculate their scattering and radiative decay rate. Nonradiative decay of plasmons induces an efficient heating of the nanoparticle and can photoacoustically excite mechanical oscillations. Computational calculations are also presented for the plasmonic modes and the ensuing excitations of nanomechanical eigenmodes of nanoparticles with near-cylindrical symmetries.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Quantifying Dynamic Signal Spread in Real-Time High-Energy X-ray Diffraction

Abstract Measured intensity in high-energy monochromatic X-ray diffraction (HEXD) experiments provides information regarding the microstructure of the crystalline material under study. The location of intensity on an areal detector is determined by the lattice spacing and orientation of crystals so that changes in the heterogeneity of these quantities are reflected in the spreading of diffraction peaks over time. High temporal resolution of such dynamics can now be experimentally observed using technologies such as the mixed-mode pixel array detector (MM-PAD) which facilitates in situ dynamic HEXD experiments to study plasticity and its underlying mechanisms. In this paper, we define and demonstrate a feature computed directly from such diffraction time series data quantifying signal spread in a manner that is correlated with plastic deformation of the sample. A distinguishing characteristic of the analysis is the capability to describe the evolution from the distinct diffraction peaks of an undeformed alloy sample through to the non-uniform Debye–Scherrer rings developed upon significant plastic deformation. We build on our previous work modeling data using an overcomplete dictionary by treating temporal measurements jointly to improve signal spread recovery. We demonstrate our approach in simulations and on experimental HEXD measurements captured using the MM-PAD. Our method for characterizing the temporal evolution of signal spread is shown to provide an informative means of data analysis that adds to the capabilities of existing methods. Our work draws on ideas from convolutional sparse coding and requires solving a coupled convex optimization problem based on the alternating direction method of multipliers.

Engineering↗

Halogenation as a tool to tune antimicrobial activity of peptoids

Antimicrobial peptides have attracted considerable interest as potential new class of antibiotics against multi-drug resistant bacteria. However, their therapeutic potential is limited, in part due to susceptibility towards enzymatic degradation and low bioavailability. Peptoids (oligomers of N-substituted glycines) demonstrate proteolytic stability and better bioavailability than corresponding peptides while in many cases retaining antibacterial activity. In this study, we synthesized a library of 36 peptoids containing fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine atoms, which vary by length and level of halogen substitution in position 4 of the phenyl rings. As we observed a clear correlation between halogenation of an inactive model peptoid and its increased antimicrobial activity, we designed chlorinated and brominated analogues of a known peptoid and its shorter counterpart. Short brominated analogues displayed up to 32-fold increase of the activity against S. aureus and 16- to 64-fold against E. coli and P. aeruginosa alongside reduced cytotoxicity. The biological effect of halogens seems to be linked to the relative hydrophobicity and self-assembly properties of the compounds. By small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) we have demontrated how the self-assembled structures are dependent on the size of the halogen, degree of substitution and length of the peptoid, and correlated these features to their activity.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

PigmentHunter: A point-and-click application for automated chlorophyll-protein simulations

Chlorophyll proteins (CPs) are the workhorses of biological photosynthesis, working together to absorb solar energy, transfer it to chemically active reaction centers, and control the charge-separation process that drives its storage as chemical energy. Yet predicting CP optical and electronic properties remains a serious challenge, driven by the computational difficulty of treating large, electronically coupled molecular pigments embedded in a dynamically structured protein environment. To address this challenge, we introduce here an analysis tool called PigmentHunter, which automates the process of preparing CP structures for molecular dynamics (MD), running short MD simulations on the nanoHUB.org science gateway, and then using electrostatic and steric analysis routines to predict optical absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectra within a Frenkel exciton model. Inter-pigment couplings are evaluated using point-dipole or transition-charge coupling models, while site energies can be estimated using both electrostatic and ring-deformation approaches. The package is built in a Jupyter Notebook environment, with a point-and-click interface that can be used either to manually prepare individual structures or to batch-process many structures at once. Here, we illustrate PigmentHunter’s capabilities with example simulations on spectral line shapes in the light harvesting 2 complex, site energies in the Fenna–Matthews–Olson protein, and ring deformation in photosystems I and II.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Multifrequency Analysis of Favored Models for the Messier 87* Accretion Flow

Abstract The polarized images of the supermassive black hole Messier 87* (M87*) produced by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) provide a direct view of the near-horizon emission from a black hole accretion and jet system. The EHT theoretical analysis of the polarized M87* images compared thousands of snapshots from numerical models with a variety of spins, magnetization states, viewing inclinations, and electron energy distributions, and found a small subset consistent with the observed image. In this article, we examine two models favored by EHT analyses: a magnetically arrested disk with moderate retrograde spin and a magnetically arrested disk with high prograde spin. Both have electron distribution functions that lead to strong depolarization by cold electrons. We ray trace five snapshots from each model at 22, 43, 86, 230, 345, and 690 GHz to forecast future very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations and examine limitations in numerical models. We find that even at low frequencies where optical and Faraday rotation depths are large, approximately rotationally symmetric polarization persists, suggesting that shallow depths dominate the polarization signal. However, morphology and spectra suggest that the assumed thermal electron distribution is not adequate to describe emission from the jet. We find 86 GHz images show a ringlike shape determined by a combination of plasma and spacetime imprints, smaller in diameter than recent results from the Global mm-VLBI Array. We find that the photon ring becomes more apparent with increasing frequency, and is more apparent in the retrograde model, leading to large differences between models in asymmetry and polarization structure.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Estimating Residual Gas Beam Loss in the BNL AGS Booster:Model, Numerical Tools, and Implications for a Polarimeter Chamber

Beamloss from residual gas scattering is calculated for a storage ring of circumference C = 200m, covering a linear magnetic rigidity ramp from B ρ inj = 1.25Tm to B ρ ext = 9.50Tm over tramp = 1.00s. Three loss mechanisms are considered: nuclear inelastic reactions, single Coulomb scattering beyond the acceptance angle of the machine, and charge-state exchange for heavy ions. Calculations are performed for protons and Au 32+ ions, the latter being the charge state delivered by the EBIS pre-injector into the BNL AGS Booster. At a baseline vacuum of P 0 = 5 × 10 −11 mbar the integrated fractional beam loss over the full ramp is negligible for protons (< 0.001%) and 33.1% for Au 32+ . The impact of a 1m polarimeter section at elevated pressure P s = 5 × 10 −9 mbar is evaluated: the proton loss remains negligible, while the Au 32+ loss rises to 45.1%, establishing the vacuum requirement for the polarimeter chamber. In the present compact approximate model, Au 32+ losses are dominated by charge exchange at injection, while proton losses are dominated by single Coulomb scattering. The design, outgassing budget, pumping strategy, and commissioning sequence for a UHV polarimeter chamber housing silicon detectors and ASICs are described in detail.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

The trailing edge is everywhere: tree rings reveal the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts

Given the importance of climate in shaping species’ geographic distributions, climate change poses an existential threat to biodiversity. Climate envelope modeling, the predominant approach used to quantify this threat, presumes that individuals in populations respond to climate variability and change according to species-level responses inferred from spatial occurrence data—such that individuals at the cool edge of a species’ distribution should benefit from warming (the “leading edge”), whereas individuals at the warm edge should suffer (the “trailing edge”). Using 1,558 tree-ring time series of an aridland pine (Pinus edulis) collected at 977 locations across the species’ distribution, we found that trees everywhere grow less in warmer-than-average and drier-than-average years. Ubiquitous negative temperature sensitivity indicates that individuals across the entire distribution should suffer with warming—the entire distribution is a trailing edge. Species-level responses to spatial climate variation are opposite in sign to individual-scale responses to time-varying climate for approximately half the species’ distribution with respect to temperature and the majority of the species’ distribution with respect to precipitation. These findings, added to evidence from the literature for scale-dependent climate responses in hundreds of species, suggest that correlative, equilibrium-based range forecasts may fail to accurately represent how individuals in populations will be impacted by changing climate. A scale-dependent view of the impact of climate change on biodiversity highlights the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts and the importance of evolution in rescuing species from extinction whenever local climate variability and change exceeds individual-scale climate tolerances.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Tree rings reveal the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts

Given the importance of climate in shaping species’ geographic distributions, climate change poses an existential threat to biodiversity. Climate envelope modeling, the predominant approach used to quantify this threat, presumes that individuals in populations respond to climate variability and change according to species-level responses inferred from spatial occurrence data—such that individuals at the cool edge of a species’ distribution should benefit from warming (the “leading edge”), whereas individuals at the warm edge should suffer (the “trailing edge”). Using 1,558 tree-ring time series of an aridland pine (Pinus edulis) collected at 977 locations across the species’ distribution, we found that trees everywhere grow less in warmer-than-average and drier-than-average years. Ubiquitous negative temperature sensitivity indicates that individuals across the entire distribution should suffer with warming—the entire distribution is a trailing edge. Species-level responses to spatial climate variation are opposite in sign to individual-scale responses to time-varying climate for approximately half the species’ distribution with respect to temperature and the majority of the species’ distribution with respect to precipitation. These findings, added to evidence from the literature for scale-dependent climate responses in hundreds of species, suggest that correlative, equilibrium-based range forecasts may fail to accurately represent how individuals in populations will be impacted by changing climate. A scale-dependent view of the impact of climate change on biodiversity highlights the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts and the importance of evolution in rescuing species from extinction whenever local climate variability and change exceeds individual-scale climate tolerances.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗