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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2003

Vortex Loops at the Superfluid Lambda Transition: An Exact Theory?

A vortex-loop theory of the superfluid lambda transition has been developed over the last decade, with many results in agreement with experiments. It is a very simple theory, consisting of just three basic equations. When it was first proposed the main uncertainty in the theory was the use Flory scaling to find the fractal dimension of the random-walking vortex loops. Recent developments in high-resolution Monte Carlo simulations have now made it possible to verify the accuracy of this Flory-scaling assumption. Although the loop theory is not yet rigorously proven to be exact, the Monte Carlo results show at the least that it is an extremely good approximation. Recent loop calculations of the critical Casimir effect in helium films in the superfluid phase T < Tc will be compared with similar perturbative RG calculations in the normal phase T > Tc; the two calculations are found to match very nicely right at Tc.

Williams, Gary A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

The repulsive Casimir-type forces in binary mixture of weakly interacting Bose–Einstein condensates gases

Highlights: • The equations of the state of a binary mixture weakly interacting Bose gases are established based on the Lagrangian of the system. • The formulae of the Casimir-type energy and the resulting Casimir-type force are produced from the quantum part of the grand canonical energy. • The results for the Casimir-type effect in the one-field case can be re-obtained by using the results of the two-field case. Within the framework of the quantum field theory (QFT) in the one-loop approximation, we investigate the Casimir-type effect in a mixture of two-component weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) gases confined between two parallel plates at zero temperature. The Casimir-type forces in the miscible state of BECs for different boundary conditions (BCs) are discovered and compared to each other. The repulsive nature of the Casimir-type force in BECs is defined for the first time. Our calculations are finished in both grand canonical ensemble (GCE) and canonical ensemble (CE).

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1993

Quantum mechanical effects of topological origin

Following a brief review of the original Casimir and Aharonov-Bohm effects, some other effects of similar natures are mentioned. A Casimir interaction between AB fluxes is presented. Possible realizations of the Casimir effects for massive charged fields in solid state structures and a new AB effect for photons are suggested.

Duru, I. H.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Twisted bilayered graphenes at magic angles and Casimir interactions: correlation-driven effects

Twisted bilayered graphenes (TBGs) at magic angles are systems housing long ranged periodicity of moiré patterns together with short ranged periodicity associated with the individual graphenes. Such materials are a fertile ground for novel states largely driven by electronic correlations. Here we find that the ubiquitous Casimir force can serve as a platform for macroscopic manifestations of the quantum effects stemming from the magic angle bilayered graphenes properties and their phases determined by electronic correlations. In conclusion, by utilizing comprehensive calculations for the electronic and optical response, we find that Casimir torque can probe anisotropy from the Drude conductivities in nematic states, while repulsion in the Casimir force can help identify topologically nontrivial phases in magic angle TBGs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Accelerating boundary analog of a Kerr black hole

An accelerated boundary correspondence (i.e. a flat spacetime accelerating mirror trajectory) is derived for the Kerr spacetime, with a general formula that ranges from the Schwarzschild limit (zero angular momentum) to the extreme maximal spin case (yielding asymptotic uniform acceleration). Here, the beta Bogoliubov coefficients reveal the particle spectrum is a Planck distribution at late times with temperature cooler than a Schwarzschild black hole, due to the 'spring constant' analog of angular momentum. The quantum stress tensor indicates a constant emission of energy flux at late times consistent with eternal thermal equilibrium.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Möbius mirrors

An accelerating boundary (mirror) acts as a horizon and black hole analog, radiating energy with some particle spectrum. In this work, we demonstrate that a Möbius transformation on the null coordinate advanced time mirror trajectory uniquely keeps invariant not only the energy flux but the particle spectrum. We clarify how the geometric entanglement entropy is also invariant. The transform allows generation of families of dynamically distinct trajectories, including $\mathcal{PT}$ -symmetric ones, mapping from the eternally thermal mirror to the de Sitter horizon, and different boundary motions corresponding to Kerr or Schwarzschild black holes

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Space-Time Quantum Metasurfaces

Metasurfaces have recently entered the realm of quantum photonics, enabling manipulation of quantum light using a compact nanophotonic platform. Realizing the full potential of metasurfaces at the deepest quantum level requires the ability to tune coherent light-matter interactions continuously in space and time. Here, we introduce the concept of space-time quantum metasurfaces for arbitrary control of the spectral, spatial, and spin properties of nonclassical light using a compact photonic platform. We show that space-time quantum metasurfaces allow on-demand tailoring of entanglement among all degrees of freedom of a single photon. We also show that spatiotemporal modulation induces asymmetry at the fundamental level of quantum fluctuations, resulting in the generation of steered and vortex photon pairs out of vacuum. Space-time quantum metasurfaces have the potential to enable novel photonic functionalities, such as encoding quantum information into high-dimensional color qudits using designer modulation protocols, sculpting multispectral and multispatial modes in spontaneous emission, and generating reconfigurable hyperentanglement for high-capacity quantum communications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Prediction of a measurable sign change in the Casimir force using a magnetic fluid

Here, we demonstrate quantum levitation controlled by Casimir forces acting between a polystyrene surface and a Teflon-coated metallic substrate immersed in a mixture of toluene and magnetite particles. This system experiences repulsion-attraction transitions in the Casimir interaction for distances where the effect is measurable. This Casimir trapping can be controlled by clever choices of metallic and ferrofluid materials, which are directly linked to the emergence of the trapping effect. Thermal and quantum contributions are investigated in detail, showing how the optical and magnetic properties of the ferrofluid and other materials affect the magnitude of the trapping and its distance range of observability.

Ma, Long [University of South Florida, Tampa, FL (↗
NASA NTRS1990

Extended inflation from higher dimensional theories

The possibility is considered that higher dimensional theories may, upon reduction to four dimensions, allow extended inflation to occur. Two separate models are analayzed. One is a very simple toy model consisting of higher dimensional gravity coupled to a scalar field whose potential allows for a first-order phase transition. The other is a more sophisticated model incorporating the effects of non-trivial field configurations (monopole, Casimir, and fermion bilinear condensate effects) that yield a non-trivial potential for the radius of the internal space. It was found that extended inflation does not occur in these models. It was also found that the bubble nucleation rate in these theories is time dependent unlike the case in the original version of extended inflation.

Holman, Richard↗
DOE OSTI2026

Investigating charm quark energy loss in medium with the nuclear modification factor of D 0 -tagged jets

The nuclear modification factor R AA of charm jets, identified by the presence of a D 0 meson among the jet constituents, has been measured for the first time in Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D 0 mesons and their charge conjugates are reconstructed from the hadronic decay D 0 → K – π + . Jets are reconstructed from D 0 -meson candidates and charged particles using the anti-k T algorithm with jet resolution parameter R = 0.3, in the jet transverse momentum (p T ) range 5 < $p^{ch}_{T}$$^{jet}$ < 50 GeV/c and pseudorapidity |η ch jet| < 0.6. A hint of reduced suppression in the charm-jet R AA is observed in comparison to inclusive jets in central Pb–Pb collisions with a significance of about 2σ in 20 < $p^{ch}_{T}$$^{jet}$ < 50 GeV/c, suggesting the in-medium energy loss to depend on both the difference between quark and gluon coupling strength (Casimir colour-charge effect) and quark mass (dead-cone effect). The data are compared with model calculations that include mass effects in the in-medium energy loss. Several state-of-the-art models are consistent with the data, with the LIDO model providing the best description of the data in the common kinematic range of inclusive and D 0 -tagged jets, highlighting the role of mass effects in interpreting the results.

Acharya, S. (ORCID:0000000292135329)↗
NASA NTRS1998

Using the Casimir Force to Measure the Gravitational Constant

I show that the dynamics of two coupled torsion pendulums is drastically affected by their mutual Casimir surface interaction if the masses involved are relatively close to each other. The effect is directly related to the ratio of the masses used to the Planck mass.

Casimir Force Gravitational Constant Newtonian Con↗
NASA NTRS1992

An analysis of combustion studies in shock expansion tunnels and reflected shock tunnels

The effect of initial nonequilibrium dissociated air constituents on the combustion of hydrogen in high-speed flows for a simulated Mach 17 flight condition was investigated by analyzing the results of comparative combustion experiments performed in a reflected shock tunnel test gas and in a shock expansion tunnel test gas. The results were analyzed and interpreted with a one-dimensional quasi-three-stream combustor code that includes finite rate combustion chemistry. The results of this study indicate that the combustion process is kinetically controlled in the experiments in both tunnels and the presence of the nonequilibrium partially dissociated oxygen in the reflected shock tunnel enhances the combustion. Methods of compensating for the effect of dissociated oxygen are discussed.

Jachimowski, Casimir J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

The kinetic origin of the fluid helicity—A symmetry in the kinetic phase space

Helicity, a topological degree that measures the winding and linking of vortex lines, is preserved by ideal (barotropic) fluid dynamics. In the context of the Hamiltonian description, the helicity is a Casimir invariant characterizing a foliation of the associated Poisson manifold. Casimir invariants are special invariants that depend on the Poisson bracket, not on the particular choice of the Hamiltonian. The total mass (or particle number) is another Casimir invariant, whose invariance guarantees the mass (particle) conservation (independent of any specific choice of the Hamiltonian). In a kinetic description (e.g., that of the Vlasov equation), the helicity is no longer an invariant (although the total mass remains a Casimir of the Vlasov’s Poisson algebra). The implication is that some “kinetic effect” can violate the constancy of the helicity. To elucidate how the helicity constraint emerges or submerges, we examine the fluid reduction of the Vlasov system; the fluid (macroscopic) system is a “sub-algebra” of the kinetic (microscopic) Vlasov system. In the Vlasov system, the helicity can be conserved if a special helicity symmetry condition holds. To put it another way, breaking helicity symmetry induces a change in the helicity. We delineate the geometrical meaning of helicity symmetry and show that for a special class of flows (the so-called epi-two-dimensional flows), the helicity symmetry is written as ∂γ = 0 for a coordinate γ of the configuration space.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Casimir Light in Dispersive Nanophotonics

Time-varying optical media, whose dielectric properties are actively modulated in time, introduce a host of novel effects in the classical propagation of light, and are of intense current interest. In the quantum domain, time-dependent media can be used to convert vacuum fluctuations (virtual photons) into pairs of real photons. Here, we refer to these processes broadly as “dynamical vacuum effects” (DVEs). Despite interest for their potential applications as sources of quantum light, DVEs are generally very weak, presenting many opportunities for enhancement through modern techniques in nanophotonics, such as using media which support excitations such as plasmon and phonon polaritons. Here, we present a theory of weakly modulated DVEs in arbitrary nanostructured, dispersive, and dissipative systems. A key element of our framework is the simultaneous incorporation of time-modulation and “dispersion” through time-translation-breaking linear response theory. As an example, we use our approach to propose a highly efficient scheme for generating entangled surface polaritons based on time-modulation of the optical phonon frequency of a polar insulator.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Universal van der Waals Force between Heavy Polarons in Superfluids

Here, we investigate the long-range behavior of the induced Casimir interaction between two spinless heavy impurities, or polarons, in superfluid cold atomic gases. With the help of effective field theory (EFT) of a Galilean invariant superfluid, we show that the induced impurity-impurity potential at long distance universally shows a relativistic van der Waals-like attraction (~1/r 7 ) resulting from the exchange of two superfluid phonons. We also clarify finite temperature effects from the same two-phonon exchange process. The temperature $\mathrm{T}$ introduces the additional length scale c s /$\mathrm{T}$ with the speed of sound c s . Leading corrections at finite temperature scale as $\mathrm{T}$ 6 /r for distances r$\ll$c s /$\mathrm{T}$ smaller than the thermal length. For larger distances the potential shows a nonrelativistic van der Waals behavior (~$\mathrm{T}$/r 6 ) instead of the relativistic one. Our EFT formulation applies not only to weakly coupled Bose or Fermi superfluids but also to those composed of strongly correlated unitary fermions with a weakly coupled impurity. The sound velocity controls the magnitude of the van der Waals potential, which we evaluate for the fermionic superfluid in the BCS-BEC crossover.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗