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At least 307 records · Page 17

Assessment of Physics Models for Phase Transition Kinetics

The time dependence of phase diagrams and how to model rate dependent transitions remains one of the key unanswered questions in physics. When a material is loaded dynamically through equilibrium phase boundaries, it is the kinetics that determines the real time expression of a phase transition. Here we report the atomic and nanosecond-scale quantification of kinetics of shock-driven phase transition in multiple materials. We uniquely make use of a both a simple shock as well as shock-and-hold loading pathways compress different crystalline solids and induce structural phase transitions below melt. Coupling shock loading with time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction (DXRD), we probe the structural transformations of these solids in the short-lived high pressure and temperature states generated. The novelty and power of using DXRD for the assessment of kinetics of phase transitions lies in the ability to discover and identify new phases and to examine kinetics without prior knowledge of a material's phase diagram. Our results provide a quantified expression and a physics model of kinetics of formation of high-pressure phases under shock loading: transition incubation time, evolution, completion time and crystallization rate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

HSR transition jump optics in the September 2022 layout

Transition is crossed during acceleration in the Hadron Storage Ring (HSR) for all species other than protons. A first-order transition jump scheme manipulates the value of the optical quantity γ T and distorts the optics of the HSR around the time that the beam energy γ beam crosses the nominal transition value γ T 0 . The jump scheme in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) uses 48 jump quads, driven by 12 bi-polar power supplies that each drive 4 quads in series. Ten of those 48 are eliminated in the preliminary September 2022 HSR layout (EIC-HSR-220921a) that was developed from RHIC with no initial regard for transition crossing. This note analyzes the performance of the 38-quad HSR scheme, by comparison with the 48-quad RHIC scheme. It is concerned only with optics – the manipulation and response of Twiss functions and related quantities – and not with beams. This evaluation is a necessary first step before enhancing the transition jump scheme to restore RHIC performance in the HSR. Eventually full beam simulations of transition crossing need to be performed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Third Integer Resonant Extraction Transit Time Simulation Studies

In this work, we present the investigation of transit time of particles in the non-linear third-integer resonant extraction process. Transit time is defined as the number of turns a particle takes to get extracted once it is in the unstable region in the phase space, i.e., outside the triangular separatrix in case of third-integer resonance. The study of transit time is important because transit time directly contributes to the beam response time during resonant extraction and thus knowing it apriori would be practically useful in designing of the extraction system. In this work, we shall investigate the analytical derivation of the transit time of particles (to the first order Kobayashi Hamiltonian) in different parts of the phase space distribution and compare against the analytical results. We also compare the simulation result of the transit time of particles (with higher statistics) for the static as well as dynamic extraction conditions cases, particularly in the context of resonant extraction parameters for Mu2e experiment at Fermilab.

Narayanan, Aakaash [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000157944↗

Sensitivity of Neutron-Rich Nuclear Isomer Behavior to Uncertainties in Direct Transitions

Nuclear isomers are populated in the rapid neutron capture process (r process) of nucleosynthesis. The r process may cover a wide range of temperatures, potentially starting from several tens of GK (several MeV) and then cooling as material is ejected from the event. As the r-process environment cools, isomers can freeze out of thermal equilibrium or be directly populated as astrophysically metastable isomers (astromers). Astromers can undergo reactions and decays at rates very different from the ground state, so they may need to be treated independently in nucleosythesis simulations. Two key behaviors of astromers—ground state ↔ isomer transition rates and thermalization temperatures—are determined by direct transition rates between pairs of nuclear states. We perform a sensitivity study to constrain the effects of unknown transitions on astromer behavior. Detailed balance ensures that ground → isomer and isomer → ground transitions are symmetric, so unknown transitions are equally impactful in both directions. We also introduce a categorization of astromers that describes their potential effects in hot environments. We provide a table of neutron-rich isomers that includes the astromer type, thermalization temperature, and key unmeasured transition rates.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

TESS Reveals HD 118203 b to be a Transiting Planet

The exoplanet HD 118203 b, orbiting a bright (V = 8.05) host star, was discovered using the radial velocity method by da Silva et al., but was not previously known to transit. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry has revealed that this planet transits its host star. Nine planetary transits were observed by TESS, allowing us to measure the radius of the planet to be 1.136{sub −0.028}{sup +0.029}R{sub J}, and to calculate the planet mass to be 2.166{sub −0.079}{sup +0.074}M{sub J}. The host star is slightly evolved with an effective temperature of T{sub eff}=5683{sub −85}{sup +84} K and a surface gravity of log g=3.889{sub 0.018}{sup 0.017}. With an orbital period of 6.134985{sub −0.000030}{sup +0.000029} days and an eccentricity of 0.314 ± 0.017, the planet occupies a transitional regime between circularized hot Jupiters and more dynamically active planets at longer orbital periods. The host star is among the 10 brightest known to have transiting giant planets, providing opportunities for both planetary atmospheric and asteroseismic studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Multiplanet System TOI-421: A Warm Neptune and a Super Puffy Mini-Neptune Transiting a G9 V Star in a Visual Binary

We report the discovery of a warm Neptune and a hot sub-Neptune transiting TOI-421 (BD-14 1137, TIC 94986319), a bright (V = 9.9) G9 dwarf star in a visual binary system observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space mission in Sectors 5 and 6. We performed ground-based follow-up observations—comprised of Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope transit photometry, NIRC2 adaptive optics imaging, and FIbre-fed Echellé Spectrograph, CORALIE, High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, High Resolution Échelle Spectrometer, and Planet Finder Spectrograph high-precision Doppler measurements—and confirmed the planetary nature of the 16 day transiting candidate announced by the TESS team. We discovered an additional radial velocity signal with a period of five days induced by the presence of a second planet in the system, which we also found to transit its host star. We found that the inner mini-Neptune, TOI-421 b, has an orbital period of P{sub b} = 5.19672 ± 0.00049 days, a mass of M{sub b} = 7.17 ± 0.66 M{sub ⊕}, and a radius of R{sub b} = 2.68{sub −0.18}{sup +0.19} R{sub ⊕}, whereas the outer warm Neptune, TOI-421 c, has a period of P{sub c} = 16.06819 ± 0.00035 days, a mass of M{sub c} = 16.42{sub −1.04}{sup +1.06} M{sub ⊕}, a radius of R{sub c} = 5.09{sub −0.15}{sup +0.16} R{sub ⊕}, and a density of ρ{sub c} = 0.685{sub −0.072}{sup +0.080} g cm{sup −3}. With its characteristics, the outer planet (ρ{sub c} = 0.685{sub −0.072}{sup +0.080} g cm{sup −3}) is placed in the intriguing class of the super-puffy mini-Neptunes. TOI-421 b and TOI-421 c are found to be well-suited for atmospheric characterization. Our atmospheric simulations predict significant Lyα transit absorption, due to strong hydrogen escape in both planets, as well as the presence of detectable CH{sub 4} in the atmosphere of TOI-421 c if equilibrium chemistry is assumed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Microscopic Derivation of Transition-state Theory for Complex Quantum Systems

The decay of quantum complex systems through a potential barrier is often described with transition-state theory, also known as RRKM theory in chemistry. Here we derive the basic formula for transition-state theory based on a generic Hamiltonian as might be constructed in a configuration-interaction basis. Two reservoirs of random Hamiltonians from Gaussian orthogonal ensembles are coupled to intermediate states representing the transition states at a barrier. Under the condition that the decay of the reservoirs to open channels is large, an analytic formula for reaction rates is derived. Here, the transition states act as independent Breit–Wigner resonances which contribute additively to the total transition probability, as is well known for electronic conductance through resonant tunneling states. It is also found that the transition probability is independent of the decay properties of the states in the second reservoir over a wide range of decay widths.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Selective, adsorbate-induced spin state changes in transition metal-based metal-organic frameworks

An adsorbate-selective metal organic framework includes a transition metal; and a plurality of organic molecules coordinated to the transition metal so as to preserve open coordination sites for selectively adsorbing molecules that have low-lying π* orbitals. The transition metal has a lowest energy spin state in the presence of the selectively adsorbed molecules that are strongly bonding to the transition metal through π-donating interactions which is different than the lowest energy spin state in the absence of these adsorbed molecules. The transition metal has also a lowest energy spin state in the presence of non-selected molecules that are weakly bonding to the transition metal through σ- and/or π-accepting and/or donating interactions.

Long, Jeffrey R.↗

Transition core modeling for extended enrichment, accident tolerant fuel using PARCS/Polaris

Current plans and efforts from reactor operators and vendors to include extended enrichment (EE) and accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) in current reactor fleets motivate the study of these changes in reactor physics analysis. This work uses the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission core simulator PARCS to do the core calculation and SCALE Polaris lattice physics code to generate the required homogenized, few-group constants. The lattice model used is based on the GE-14 10x10 assemblies with UO{sub 2} fuels. Both nominal core and transition core are studied in this work, and both cores use GE-14 10x10 assemblies with UO{sub 2} fuel. The nominal core uses regular UO{sub 2} fuel with a maximum enrichment of 5 wt % and ZIRC-2 cladding. The ATF transition core uses FeCrAl cladding and regular UO{sub 2} fuel, while the EE-ATF transition core uses FeCrAl cladding with UO{sub 2} fuel with 8 max wt % enrichment. The accuracy presented in the colorset models verified the capability of the PARCS/Polaris procedures for the transition core analysis. For the whole core calculation, the ATF and EE-ATF transition core models were made in addition to the nominal core model. The core parameters to study are the core power distribution and power peaking factor, doppler temperature coefficients, and control rod worth at cold zero power and hot full power. Comparing the core parameters of the transition cores with the nominal core in PARCS, the results suggest that there is no unexpected outcome for the implementation of ATF and EE fuels. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Structural Phase Transitions between Layered Indium Selenide for Integrated Photonic Memory

The primary mechanism of optical memoristive devices relies on phase transitions between amorphous and crystalline states. The slow or energy-hungry amorphous–crystalline transitions in optical phase-change materials are detrimental to the scalability and performance of devices. Leveraging an integrated photonic platform, nonvolatile and reversible switching between two layered structures of indium selenide (In 2 Se 3 ) triggered by a single nanosecond pulse is demonstrated. The high-resolution pair distribution function reveals the detailed atomistic transition pathways between the layered structures. With interlayer “shear glide” and isosymmetric phase transition, switching between the α- and β-structural states contains low re-configurational entropy, allowing reversible switching between layered structures. Broadband refractive index contrast, optical transparency, and volumetric effect in the crystalline–crystalline phase transition are experimentally characterized in molecular-beam-epitaxy-grown thin films and compared to ab initio calculations. Finally, the nonlinear resonator transmission spectra measure of incremental linear loss rate of 3.3 GHz, introduced by a 1.5 µm-long In 2 Se 3 -covered layer, resulted from the combinations of material absorption and scattering.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase Transition of Heptane under Pressure

A solid-to-solid phase transition was discovered in n-heptane with an onset at a pressure of 1.7 ± 0.1 GPa, evidenced by a discontinuity in the pressure–volume equation of state obtained from synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments conducted at room temperature. The phase transition also resulted in discontinuous shifts of vibrational peaks in the infrared spectra. No additional phase transitions were detected up to 10 GPa, contradicting an earlier claim of a phase transition at 3 GPa. Furthermore, the hydrostatic limit of heptane in a diamond anvil cell was estimated to be 3.5 GPa. Above that pressure, the stress state is not well-defined, which may explain prior reports of a phase transition at 7.5 GPa.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

First-Row Transition Metal Antimonates for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The development of inexpensive and abundant catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and stability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is imperative for the widespread implementation of fuel cell devices. Herein, we present a combined theoretical–experimental approach to discover and design first-row transition metal antimonates as excellent electrocatalytic materials for the ORR. Theoretically, we identify first-row transition metal antimonates–MSb 2 O 6 , where M = Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni–as nonprecious metal catalysts with good oxygen binding energetics, conductivity, thermodynamic phase stability, and aqueous stability. Among the considered antimonates, MnSb 2 O 6 shows the highest theoretical ORR activity based on the 4e – ORR kinetic volcano. Experimentally, nanoparticulate transition metal antimonate catalysts are found to have a minimum of a 2.5-fold enhancement in intrinsic mass activity (on transition metal mass basis) relative to the corresponding transition metal oxide at 0.7 V vs RHE in 0.1 M KOH. MnSb 2 O 6 is the most active catalyst under these conditions, with a 3.5-fold enhancement on a per Mn mass activity basis and 25-fold enhancement on a surface area basis over its antimony-free counterpart. Electrocatalytic and material stability are demonstrated over a 5 h chronopotentiometry experiment in the stability window identified by theoretical Pourbaix analysis. Furthermore, this study further highlights the stable and electrically conductive antimonate structure as a framework to tune the activity and selectivity of nonprecious metal oxide active sites for ORR catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Observations of twinning microstructure in iron ramp-compressed through the α – ε phase transition

Single crystal iron was ramp-compressed along the [100] axis at 4 GPa/ns through the α–ϵ phase transformation at 13 GPa. Unlike shock experiments, in these ramp compression experiments the bcc lattice is observed to be nearly isotropically relaxed before the phase transition. There was a mixed α/ϵ phase region starting at ~13 GPa which was observed for 0.75 ns until the peak stress of 18 GPa was reached. In situ x-ray diffraction measurements show the formation of new hcp orientations not reported in shock or quasistatic compression experiments. The new hcp orientations appear to be caused by {10¯11} <10¯1 ¯2> → {¯1011} <¯101¯2> sequential twins that occur during the phase transition. This twinning mechanism relieves the shear strain caused by the bcc-hcp phase transition from the isotropically relaxed bcc phase while subject to uniaxial compression. Furthermore, these results show that in iron the induced microstructure through a phase transition and the phase transition mechanism depend on the loading history.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Nano-infrared imaging of metal insulator transition in few-layer 1T-TaS 2

Abstract Among the family of transition metal dichalcogenides, 1T-TaS 2 stands out for several peculiar physical properties including a rich charge density wave phase diagram, quantum spin liquid candidacy and low temperature Mott insulator phase. As 1T-TaS 2 is thinned down to the few-layer limit, interesting physics emerges in this quasi 2D material. Here, using scanning near-field optical microscopy, we perform a spatial- and temperature-dependent study on the phase transitions of a few-layer thick microcrystal of 1T-TaS 2 . We investigate encapsulated air-sensitive 1T-TaS 2 prepared under inert conditions down to cryogenic temperatures. We find an abrupt metal-to-insulator transition in this few-layer limit. Our results provide new insight in contrast to previous transport studies on thin 1T-TaS 2 where the resistivity jump became undetectable, and to spatially resolved studies on non-encapsulated samples which found a gradual, spatially inhomogeneous transition. A statistical analysis suggests bimodal high and low temperature phases, and that the characteristic phase transition hysteresis is preserved down to a few-layer limit.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Onboard Transit Survey - Philadelphia Regional - 2012

The main purpose of the survey was to gather current data on how the transit system was being used in 2010. The survey asked passengers a series of questions about their household characteristics and the trip that they were making on the day of the survey. The survey was conducted in three phases between December 2010 and December 2011. Close to 1.1 million unlinked trips are made on an average weekday on all 140 routes systemwide. The survey results suggest several different populations of users. At the low end of the economic spectrum are passengers who really have no other transit option besides public transit. There is also a group of passengers that appear to be somewhat better off financially. They could be categorized as middle-income households, and many of these passengers may have other options for transportation, but they choose to take public transit because it makes sense for them from a financial or time-savings standpoint. Finally, there may be a smaller group of passengers who may live and work downtown in relatively high-paying positions. These passengers can afford to take a taxi but choose to ride transit because of its convenience.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Zero-Strain Metal-Insulator Transition by the Local Fluctuation of Cation Dimerization

The coupled electronic and structural transitions in metal-insulator transition (MIT) hinder ultrafast switching and ultimate endurance. Decoupling these transitions and achieving a zero-strain electronic MIT can overcome the fundamental limitations of MIT in solid materials. Here, this study demonstrates that iso-valent Ti dopants in supercooled VO 2 epitaxial films cause MIT with minimal hysteresis without changing unit-cell volume and crystal symmetry. The Ti dopants in the VO 2 lattice locally alter the configuration of V-V pairs, where the long-range ordering in V-V pairs is disrupted, and the nano-domains of V-V dimers are formed. Strikingly, these local V-V dimers persist even above the electronic transition temperature (T MI ), facilitating the zero-strain electronic MIT with nanoscale structural heterogeneity. The geometrically compatible interface between insulating and metallic phases drastically enhances switching speed and endurance during electrically and optically driven zero-strain MIT. In conclusion, this discovery offers a fresh perspective on the scientific understanding of MIT and the improved functionality in terms of device speed and reliability by decoupling electronic and structural transitions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Speciation of Transition Metal Dissolution in Electrolyte from Common Cathode Materials

Significant capacity loss has been observed across extended cycling of lithium-ion batteries cycled to high potential. One of the sources of capacity fade is transition metal dissolution from the cathode active material, ion migration through the electrolyte, and deposition on the solid-electrolyte interphase on the anode. While much research has been conducted on the oxidation state of the transition metal in the cathode active material or deposited on the anode, there have been limited investigations of the oxidation state of the transition metal ions dissolved in the electrolyte. Here, in this work, X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been performed on electrolytes extracted from cells built with four different cathode active materials (LiMn 2 O 4 (LMO), LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO), LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 (NMC811), and (x Li 2 MnO 3 *(1-x) LiNi a Mn b Co c O 2 , with a+b+c=1) (LMRNMC)) that were cycled at either high or standard potentials to determine the oxidation state of Mn and Ni in solution. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry has been performed on the anodes from these cells to determine the concentration of deposited transition metal ions. While transition metal ions were found dissolved in all electrolytes, the oxidation state(s) of Mn and Ni were determined to be dependent on the cathode material and independent of cycling potential.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Energy and Emission Prediction for Mixed-Vehicle Transit Fleets Using Multi-task and Inductive Transfer Learning

Public transit agencies are focused on making their fixed-line bus systems more energy efficient by introducing electric (EV) and hybrid (HV) vehicles to their fleets. However, because of the high upfront cost of these vehicles, most agencies are tasked with managing a mixed-fleet of internal combustion vehicles (ICEVs), EVs, and HVs. In managing mixed-fleets, agencies require accurate predictions of energy use for optimizing the assignment of vehicles to transit routes, scheduling charging, and ensuring that emission standards are met. The current state-of-the-art is to develop separate neural network models to predict energy consumption for each vehicle class. Although different vehicle classes’ energy consumption depends on a varied set of covariates, we hypothesize that there are broader generalizable patterns that govern energy consumption and emissions. In this paper, we seek to extract these patterns to aid learning to address two problems faced by transit agencies. First, in the case of a transit agency which operates many ICEVs, HVs, and EVs, we use multi-task learning (MTL) to improve accuracy of forecasting energy consumption. Second, in the case where there is a significant variation in vehicles in each category, we use inductive transfer learning (ITL) to improve predictive accuracy for vehicle class models with insufficient data. As this work is to be deployed by our partner agency, we also provide an online pipeline for joining the various sensor streams for fixed-line transit energy prediction. Here, we find that our approach outperforms vehicle-specific baselines in both the MTL and ITL settings.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗