Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “FERMI GAS”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Approaching PetaVolts per Meter Plasmonics Using Structured Semiconductors

A newly uncovered class of plasmons in the strongly excited limit opens access to unprecedented Petavolts per meter electromagnetic fields with wide-ranging, transformative impact. Unlike conventional plasmons, such plasmons are constituted by non-perturbative, large-amplitude oscillations of the ultradense, delocalized free electron Fermi gas inherent in conductive media. Here structured semiconductors doped to have an appropriate conduction electron density are introduced to tune the properties of the Fermi gas for matched excitation of large-amplitude plasmons using readily available electron beams which enables immediate experimental validation. Specifically, an electrostatic, surface “crunch-in” plasmon is collisionlessly excited by the beam launched inside a tube. Strong excitation due to matching results in relativistic oscillations of the electron gas and unravels unique phenomena. Relativistically induced ballistic electron transport comes about due to relativistic multifold increase in the mean free path and also leads to unconventional heat deposition beyond Ohm’s law. This explains the absence of observed damage or solid-plasma formation in past experiments on conductive samples interacting with electron bunches shorter than 10-13 seconds. Furthermore, relativistic momentum leads to copious tunneling of electron gas across the surface, which then crunches inside the tube. Relativistic effects along with large, localized electron density variations underlying these modes necessitate kinetic approach to theoretical and computational modeling. Kinetic model presented here demonstrates experimental viability of observing tens of gigavolts per meter plasmonic fields excited by matching readily available electron beams to plasmons in semiconductors with 1018cm-3 free electron density, and paves the way for Petavolts per meter plasmonics.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Viscous dissipation in a gas of one-dimensional fermions with generic dispersion

A well-known feature of the classical monoatomic gas is that its bulk viscosity is strongly suppressed because the single-particle dispersion is quadratic. On the other hand, in condensed matter systems the effective single -particle dispersion is altered by lattice effects and interactions. In this work, we study the bulk viscosity of one-dimensional Fermi gases with generic energy-momentum dispersion relations. As an application, viscous dissipation arising from lattice effects is analyzed for the tight-binding model. In addition, we investigate how weak interactions affect the bulk viscosity. Finally, we discuss viscous dissipation in the regime in which the Fermi gas is not fully equilibrated, as can occur when the system is driven at frequencies that exceed the rate of fermion backscattering. In this case, the Fermi gas is described by three bulk viscosities, which we obtain for a generic single-particle dispersion.

1-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2021

Subleading corrections to the S 3 free energy of necklace quiver theories dual to massive IIA

We investigate the S 3 free energy of N = 3 Chern-Simons-matter quiver gauge theories with gauge group U(N) r (r ≥ 2) where the sum of Chern-Simons levels does not vanish, beyond the leading order in the large-N limit. We take two different approaches to explore the sub-leading structures of the free energy. First we evaluate the matrix integral for the partition function in the ’t Hooft limit using a saddle point approximation. Second we use an ideal Fermi-gas model to compute the same partition function, but in the limit of fixed Chern-Simons levels. The resulting expressions for the free energy F = – log Z are then compared in the overlapping parameter regime. The Fermi-gas approach also hints at a universal 1/6 log N correction to the free energy. Since the quiver gauge theories we consider are dual to massive Type IIA theory, we expect the sub-leading correction of the planar free energy in the large ’t Hooft parameter limit to match higher-derivative corrections to the tree-level holographic dual free energy, which have not yet been fully investigated.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Magic Gap Ratio for Optimally Robust Fermionic Condensation and Its Implications for High- $T_c$ Superconductivity

Bardeen-Schrieffer-Cooper (BCS) and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) occur at opposite limits of a continuum of pairing interaction strength between fermions. A crossover between these limits is readily observed in a cold atomic Fermi gas. Whether it occurs in other systems such as the high temperature superconducting cuprates has remained an open question. We uncover here unambiguous evidence for a BCS-BEC crossover in the cuprates by identifying a universal magic gap ratio 2Δ/k B T c ≈ 6.5 (where Δ is the pairing gap and T c is the transition temperature) at which paired fermion condensates become optimally robust. At this gap ratio, corresponding to the unitary point in a cold atomic Fermi gas, the measured condensate fraction N0 and the height of the jump δγ(T c ) in the coefficient γ of the fermionic specific heat at T c are strongly peaked. In the cuprates, δγ(T c ) is peaked at this gap ratio when Δ corresponds to the antinodal spectroscopic gap, thus reinforcing its interpretation as the pairing gap. We find the peak in δγ(T c ) also to coincide with a normal state maximum in γ, which is indicative of a pairing fluctuation pseudogap above T c .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Shell-structure and asymmetry effects in level densities

Level density [Formula: see text] is derived for a nuclear system with a given energy [Formula: see text], neutron [Formula: see text], and proton [Formula: see text] particle numbers, within the semiclassical extended Thomas–Fermi and periodic-orbit theory beyond the Fermi-gas saddle-point method. We obtain [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the modified Bessel function of the entropy [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] is related to the number of integrals of motion, except for the energy [Formula: see text]. For small shell structure contribution one obtains within the micro–macroscopic approximation (MMA) the value of [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. In the opposite case of much larger shell structure contributions one finds a larger value of [Formula: see text]. The MMA level density [Formula: see text] reaches the well-known Fermi gas asymptote for large excitation energies, and the finite micro-canonical limit for low excitation energies. Fitting the MMA [Formula: see text] to experimental data on a long isotope chain for low excitation energies, due mainly to the shell effects, one obtains results for the inverse level density parameter [Formula: see text], which differs significantly from that of neutron resonances.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Microscopic-macroscopic level densities for low excitation energies

Level density ρ(E,Q) is derived within the micro-macroscopic approximation (MMA) for a system of strongly interacting Fermi particles with the energy E and additional integrals of motion Q , in line with several topics of the universal and fruitful activity of A. S. Davydov. Within the extended Thomas Fermi and semiclassical periodic orbit theory beyond the Fermi-gas saddle-point method, we obtain ρ ∝ I ν (S)/S ν , where I ν (S) is the modified Bessel function of the entropy S . For small shell-structure contribution, one finds ν = κ/2 + 1, where κ is the number of additional integrals of motion. This integer number is a dimension of Q, Q = { N, Z , …} for the case of two-component atomic nuclei, where N and Z are the numbers of neutrons and protons, respectively. For much larger shell structure contributions, one obtains ν = κ /2 + 2. The MMA level density ρ reaches the well-known Fermi gas asymptote for large excitation energies and the finite micro-canonical combinatoric limit for low excitation energies. Further, the additional integrals of motion can also be the projection of the angular momentum of a nuclear system for nuclear rotations of deformed nuclei, number of excitons for collective dynamics, and so on. Fitting the MMA total level density ρ( E , Q) for a set of the integrals of motion Q = { N, Z }, to experimental data on a long nuclear isotope chain for low excitation energies, one obtains the results for the inverse level-density parameter K , which differs significantly from those of neutron resonances due to shell, isotopic asymmetry, and pairing effects.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Semiclassical shell-structure micro-macroscopic approach for the level density

Level density ρ(E,A) is derived for a one-component nucleon system with a given energy E and particle number A within the mean-field semiclassical periodic-orbit theory beyond the saddle-point method of the Fermi gas model. We obtain ρ∝I ν (S)/S ν , with I ν (S) being the modified Bessel function of the entropy S. Within the micro-macro-canonical approximation (MMA), for a small thermal excitation energy U, with respect to rotational excitations E rot , one obtains ν = 3/2 for ρ(E,A). In the case of excitation energy U larger than E rot but smaller than the neutron separation energy, one finds a larger value of ν = 5/2. A role of the fixed spin variables for rotating nuclei is discussed. The MMA level density ρ reaches the well-known grand-canonical ensemble limit (Fermi gas asymptote) for large S related to large excitation energies, and also reaches the finite micro-canonical limit for small combinatorial entropy S at low excitation energies (the constant “temperature” model). Fitting the ρ(E,A) of the MMA to the experimental data for low excitation energies, taking into account shell and, qualitatively, pairing effects, one obtains for the inverse level density parameter K a value which differs essentially from that parameter derived from data on neutron resonances.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Current algebra approach to two-dimensional interacting chiral metals

In this study, we reinterpret the chiral U(N) Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) model at level k>1 in (1+1) dimensions as an interacting chiral metal in two space dimensions. In this reinterpretation, spatial translations along one of the spatial dimensions in the two-dimensional chiral metal arise from a generator of the U(N) symmetry of the WZW model. The WZW model at k=1 is equivalent to Balents and Fisher's free chiral metal. Here, the U(N) symmetry corresponds to the IR symmetry of a chiral Fermi gas with (half of a) Fermi surface, with N equal to the number of points on the Fermi surface. We argue that exactly solvable interacting generalizations occur for levels k>1. Importantly, these interacting chiral metals maintain the U(N) symmetry of the free system. We calculate two-point correlation functions of the single-particle fermion operator, the U⁡(1) number density, and current operators in these theories for general k. We find that interactions (k>1) produce 1/N corrections to scaling of the single-particle fermion operator as N→∞ and renormalize the amplitudes of the density and current two-point functions. This construction illustrates the ersatz Fermi liquid proposal of Else et al.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Reducing the complexity of finite-temperature auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo

The auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFMC) method is a powerful and widely used technique for ground-state and finite-temperature simulations of quantum many-body systems. Here we introduce several algorithmic improvements for finite-temperature AFMC calculations of dilute fermionic systems that reduce the computational complexity of most parts of the algorithm. This is principally achieved by reducing the number of single-particle states that contribute at each configuration of the auxiliary fields to a number that is of the order of the number of fermions. Our methods are applicable for both the canonical and grand-canonical ensembles. We demonstrate the reduced computational complexity of the methods for the homogeneous unitary Fermi gas.

67.85.Lm↗
DOE OSTI2021

Imprints of high-momentum nucleons in nuclei on hard photons from heavy-ion collisions near the Fermi energy

The short-range correlation (SRC) induced by the tensor force in the isosinglet neutron-proton interaction channel leads to a high-momentum tail (HMT) in the single-nucleon momentum distributions n(k) in nuclei. Owing to the remaining uncertainties about the tensor force, the shape of the nucleon HMT may be significantly different from the dilute interacting Fermi gas model prediction n(k) ~ 1/k 4 similar to the HMT in cold atoms near the unitary limit. Within an isospin- and momentum-dependent Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model incorporating approximately the nucleon HMT, we investigate hard photon emissions in 14 N + 12 C and 48 Ca + 124 Sn reactions at beam energies around the Fermi energy. Imprints of different shapes of the HMT on the energy spectrum, angular distribution and transverse momentum spectrum of hard photons are studied. Furthermore, while the angular distribution does not carry any information about the shape of the nucleon HMT, the energy spectra and especially the mid-rapidity transverse momentum spectra of hard photons are found to bare strong imprints of the shapes of nucleon HMTs in the two colliding nuclei.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2003

Experiments with Ultracold Quantum-degenerate Fermionic Lithium Atoms

Experimental methods of laser and evaporative cooling, used in the production of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates have recently been extended to realize quantum degeneracy in trapped Fermi gases. Fermi gases are a new rich system to explore the implications of Pauli exclusion on scattering properties of the system, and ultimately fermionic superfluidity. We have produced a new macroscopic quantum system, in which a degenerate Li-6 Fermi gas coexists with a large and stable Na-23 BEC. This was accomplished using inter-species sympathetic cooling of fermionic 6Li in a thermal bath of bosonic Na-23. We have achieved high numbers of both fermions (less than 10(exp 5) and bosons (less than 10(exp 6), and Li-6 quantum degeneracy corresponding to one half of the Fermi temperature. This is the first time that a Fermi sea was produced with a condensate as a "refrigerator".

Ketterle, Wolfgang↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum dynamics of cold atomic gas with SU(1,1) symmetry

Motivated by recent advances in quantum dynamics, we investigate the dynamics of the system with SU(1,1) symmetry. Instead of performing the time-ordered integral for the evolution operator of the time-dependent Hamiltonian, we show that the time evolution operator can be expressed as an SU(1,1) group element. Since the SU(1,1) group describes the “rotation” on a hyperbolic surface, the dynamics can be visualized on a Poincaré disk, a stereographic projection of the upper hyperboloid. As an example, we present the trajectory of the revival of Bose-Einstein condensation and that of the scale-invariant Fermi gas on the Poincaré disk. Further considering quantum gases in an oscillating lattice, we also study the dynamics of the system with time-dependent single-particle dispersion.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sensitivity of time-dependent density functional theory to initial conditions

Time-dependent density-functional theory is mathematically formulated through nonlinear coupled time-dependent three-dimensional partial differential equations, and it is natural to expect a strong sensitivity of its solutions to variations of the initial conditions, akin to the butterfly effect ubiquitous in classical dynamics. Since the Schrödinger equation for an interacting many-body system is, however, linear and mathematically the exact equations of the density-functional theory reproduce the corresponding one-body properties, it would follow that the Lyapunov exponents are also vanishing within a density-functional theory framework. Whether for realistic implementations of the time-dependent density-functional theory the question of the absence of the butterfly effect and whether the dynamics provided is indeed a predictable theory was never discussed. At the same time, since the time-dependent density-functional theory is a unique tool allowing us to study the nonequilibrium dynamics of strongly interacting many-fermion systems, the question of predictability of this theoretical framework is of paramount importance. Here our analysis, for a number of quantum superfluid many-body systems (unitary Fermi gas, nuclear fission, and heavy-ion collisions) with a classical equivalent number of degrees of freedom O(10 10 ) and larger, suggests that its maximum Lyapunov exponents are negligible for all practical purposes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Gravitational-wave-to-matter coupling of superfluid Fermi gases near unitarity

It is well known that gravitational waves distort equilibrium matter globally, making them amenable to detection with laser interferometers. Less well known is the fact that gravitational waves create local nonequilibrium stresses inside matter, which could conceivably lead to alternative detection methods. The gravitational wave-to-matter coupling κ is a transport coefficient depending on the material and is poorly known for most substances. Here, in the present work, we calculate κ for a superfluid Fermi gas near unitarity using large-N techniques, finding κ= $\frac{n}{12m}$, with n the number density and m the mass of the fermion, matching the result for free Dirac fermions at zero temperature. Our prediction is amenable to nonperturbative theoretical as well as experimental tests.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Two-component atomic Fermi superfluid with spin-orbital coupling in thin-spherical-shell geometry

We present a theory of two-component atomic Fermi superfluid with tunable pairing interaction in a thin spherical shell subject to spin-orbit coupling (SOC). By incorporating SOC into the Fermi superfluid in the BCS-Bose Einstein condensation (BEC) crossover, we obtain the energy spectrum and equations of state. While the order parameter and chemical potential are suppressed by SOC on the BCS side, the former remains positive but the latter may be pushed to negative values by SOC.Meanwhile, the compressibility exhibits kinks as the pairing interaction or SOC varies, indicating singular behavior of higher derivatives of the free energy despite the presence of the superfluid order parameter. The minimum of the energy dispersion indicates a decoupling of the energy gap from the order parameter, and the compressibility kinks occur when the energy gap approaches 0. We found the particle-hole mixing in the Fermi superfluid essential for the compressibility kinks since a Fermi gas with the same SOC but no pairing interaction only exhibits complicated dispersions but no singular behavior. Therefore, our results show that a combination of superfluid, SOC, and geometry can lead to interesting phenomena. Here, we also discuss possible experimental realizations and implications.

Fermi gases↗
DOE OSTI2023

Toward precision Fermi-liquid theory in two dimensions

The ultracold and weakly coupled Fermi gas in two spatial dimensions is studied in an effective field theory framework. It has long been observed that universal corrections to the energy density to two orders in the interaction strength do not agree with Monte Carlo simulations in the weak-coupling regime. Here, universal corrections to three orders in the interaction strength are obtained, and are shown to provide agreement between theory and simulation. Special consideration is given to the scale ambiguity associated with the nontrivial renormalization of the singular contact interactions. Further, the isotropic superfluid gap is obtained to next-to-leading order, and nonuniversal contributions to the energy density due to effective range effects, p -wave interactions, and three-body forces are computed. Results are compared with precise Monte Carlo simulations of the energy density and the contact in the weakly coupled attractive and repulsive Fermi-liquid regimes. In addition, the known all-orders sum of ladder and ring diagrams is compared with Monte Carlo simulations at weak coupling and beyond.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effective field theory for dilute Fermi systems at fourth order

We discuss high-order calculations in perturbative effective field theory for fermions at low energy scales. The Fermi-momentum or k F a s as expansion for the ground-state energy of the dilute Fermi gas is calculated to fourth order, both in cutoff regularization and in dimensional regularization. For the case of spin one-half fermions we find from a Bayesian analysis that the expansion is well converged at this order for |k F a s |≲ 0.5. Furthermore, we show that Padé-Borel resummations can improve the convergence for |k F a s |≲ 1. Here, our results provide important constraints for nonperturbative calculations of ultracold atoms and dilute neutron matter.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗